The Full Wiki

More info on Roman Empire

Roman Empire: Wikis

  
  
  
  
  
  

Did you know ...


More interesting facts on Roman Empire

Include this on your site/blog:

Encyclopedia

Updated live from Wikipedia, last check: June 04, 2012 09:32 UTC (41 seconds ago)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Name:
Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR)
("The Senate and People of Rome")
[nb 1]
Roman Empire

27 BC–AD 476/1453
 

Vexillum with aquila and Roman state acronym
The maximum extent of Roman Empire under Trajan in AD 117
Capital .Rome was the sole political capital until AD 286
There were several political centres during the Tetrarchy while Rome continued to be the nominal, cultural, and ideological capital.
^ Rome and Romania is continued in The Ottoman Sultans, 1290-1924 AD , Successors of Rome: Germania, 395-774 , Successors of Rome: Francia, 447-present , Successors of Rome: The Periphery of Francia , and Successors of Rome: Russia, 862-present .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Meanwhile, Romania, with institutional continuity, commercial culture, and education, began to recover its strength, despite some severe blows continuing to fall.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But political enemies of the brothers Scipio back in Rome sought to discredit their opponents, by insisting the terms upon Syria must be more severe.


.Constantine re-founded and established the city of Constantinople as the new capital of the empire in 330[1].^ The conquest of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade did not result in the establishment of the authority of the Latin Emperors over the whole of the previous Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Aftermath to the Fall of Carthage The immediately evident effect of Rome’s victory was that the city Utica was now made capital of the new Roman province of Africa.

^ Remarkably, this may have been the bronze statute of Athena Promachus which had stood in the open on the Acropolis at Athens, reportedly visible from out to sea, and was moved to the new city by Constantine.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]


Mediolanum (Milan) was its western counterpart during the increasingly frequent East/West divisions. The western imperial court was later relocated to Ravenna.
Language(s) Latin, Greek
Religion Polytheism and Roman imperial cult
(to 380)

Christianity
(from 380)
Government Autocracy
Emperor
 - 27 BC–AD 14 Augustus
 - 378–395 Theodosius I
 - 475–476 / 1449–1453 Romulus Augustus / Constantine XI
Legislature Roman Senate
Historical era Classical antiquity
 - Battle of Actium 2 September 31 BC
 - Octavian proclaimed Augustus 27 BC
 - Diocletian splits imperial administration between East and West 285
 - Constantine the Great establishes Constantinople as a new imperial capital 330
 - Death of Theodosius the Great, followed by permanent division of the Empire into eastern and western halves 395
 - Deposition of western emperor Romulus Augustus/Fall of Constantinople * AD 476/1453
Area
 - 25 BC[2][3] 2,750,000 km2 (1,061,781 sq mi)
 - 50[2] 4,200,000 km2 (1,621,629 sq mi)
 - 117[2] 5,000,000 km2 (1,930,511 sq mi)
 - 390 [2] 4,400,000 km2 (1,698,849 sq mi)
Population
 - 25 BC[2][3] est. 56,800,000 
     Density 20.7 /km2  (53.5 /sq mi)
 - 117[2] est. 88,000,000 
     Density 17.6 /km2  (45.6 /sq mi)
Currency (a) 27 BC - AD 212: 1 gold aureus (1/40 lb. of gold, devalued to 1/50 lb. by 212) = 25 silver denarii = 100 bronze sesterces = 400 copper asses.
(b) 294 - 312: 1 gold aureus solidus (1/60 lb. of gold) = 10 silver argentei = 40 bronze folles = 1,000 debased metal denarii
(c) 312 onwards: 1 gold solidus (1/72 lb.) = 24 silver siliquae = 180 bronze folles
* These events marked the end of the Western Roman Empire (286–476)[4] and of the Eastern Roman Empire (330–1453), respectively.
.The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean.^ The great Carthaginian controlled much of southern Italy, but dotted throughout this territory were Roman fortresses, prepared to hold out and hindering his ability to manoeuvre.

^ This no longer seems so admirable, and the Empire founded by Julius Caesar and Augustus, as a form of government, does not look like an advance in the course of human progress.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They were never subject to the Roman Emperors in Constantinople, and they occupied territories that had been abandoned by the Roman Empire in the Third Century , or never occupied by it in the first place.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[5] .The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor, Augustus.^ They were the first Roman dynasty with a surname, which shows some of the social changes that took place during the long period of the Macedonians.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So, while we think of "Augustus" as the name of the first Emperor, it was simply a title, whose import was well remembered by subsequent Emperors.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ During the time in which the decemviri were in office the Roman constitution was no longer in place, for they ruled in place of the consuls.

The Roman Republic, which preceded it, had been weakened and subverted through several civil wars.[nb .2] Several events are commonly proposed to mark the transition from Republic to Empire, including Julius Caesar's appointment as perpetual dictator (44 BC), the Battle of Actium (2 September 31 BC), and the Roman Senate's granting to Octavian the honorific Augustus (4 January 27 BC).^ This no longer seems so admirable, and the Empire founded by Julius Caesar and Augustus, as a form of government, does not look like an advance in the course of human progress.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He did not even hold the Republican office of Dictator, as Julius Caesar had.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The office of the Roman Consuls, the chief executive officers of the Roman Republic , and dating by them, continued under the Empire until Justinian, who now replaces them with dating by Regal years.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[nb .3] Roman expansion began in the days of the Republic, but reached its zenith under Emperor Trajan.^ In the early days of the Roman republic all power would reside in the hands of the Roman aristocracy, the so-called patricians ( patricii ).

^ The office of the Roman Consuls, the chief executive officers of the Roman Republic , and dating by them, continued under the Empire until Justinian, who now replaces them with dating by Regal years.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ That was dangerous, indeed fatal, for the Republic; but in those terms Julius Caesar began the creation of the Roman Empire already as an "emperor."
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.At this territorial peak, the Roman Empire controlled approximately 6.5 million km²[6] of land surface.^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The great Carthaginian controlled much of southern Italy, but dotted throughout this territory were Roman fortresses, prepared to hold out and hindering his ability to manoeuvre.

^ They were never subject to the Roman Emperors in Constantinople, and they occupied territories that had been abandoned by the Roman Empire in the Third Century , or never occupied by it in the first place.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Because of the Empire's vast extent and long endurance, Roman influence upon the language, religion, architecture, philosophy, law, and government of nations around the world lasts to this day.^ The Vandals interrupted Roman rule, but not long enough to make any lasting difference, if Islam had not soon arrived.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ These concealed troops then sprung upon the marching Roman army as passed the next day.

^ The Pope thus became, as Popes had long desired, the ruler of all the Roman Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.In the late 3rd century AD, Diocletian established the practice of dividing authority between four co-emperors, in order to better secure the vast territory.^ IV. FOURTH EMPIRE, LATE "ROMANIA/BYZANTIUM," 1059 AD-1453 AD, Era of Diocletian 776-1170, 394 years .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But the greatest of the 3rd century Emperors, like Aurelian, don't get popular books, movies, and BBC television epics made about them.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Since the Schism of 1054 between the Latin and the Greek Churches had not occurred yet, Bede would have seen the contemporary Emperor (a late Heraclian , mostly) invested with all the aura and authority of Constantine the Great.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

During the following decades the empire was often divided along an East/West axis. After the death of Theodosius I in 395 it was divided for the last time.[7]
.The Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 as Romulus Augustus was forced to abdicate by Odoacer.^ With the Persians in Egypt, Syria, and Anatolia, the Roman Empire seemed doomed to complete collapse.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ More than the coup of Odoacer in 476, this signaled a real institutional change in the Western Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ B. CRISIS OF THE FIFTH CENTURY, 379-476, 97 Years The map shows the key incursions that would fatally undermine the Western Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[8] .The Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire endured until 1453 with the death of Constantine XI and the capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks led by Mehmed II.^ Decius and Herennius were killed in battle by the Goths in 251 -- the only Roman Emperors to die in battle (against external enemies) besides Julian (against the Persians, 363), Valens (against the Goths again, 378), Nicephorus I (against the Bulgars, 811), and Constantine XI (with the fall of Constantinople to the Turks, 1453).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Once the Ottomans broke the Roman army in Bithynia (1302), they, and other Turks, quickly reduced Roman possessions in Asia to fragments, never to be recovered.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Google describes this file as, "A thorough investigation into the Eastern Roman Empire."
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[9]

Contents

Government

Emperor

The powers of an emperor, (his imperium) existed, in theory at least, by virtue of his "tribunician powers" (potestas tribunicia) and his "proconsular powers" (imperium proconsulare).[10] .In theory, the tribunician powers (which were similar to those of the Plebeian Tribunes under the old republic) made the emperor's person and office sacrosanct, and gave the emperor authority over Rome's civil government, including the power to preside over and to control the Senate.^ The senate under the guidance of Fabius largely took control of matters.

^ If inspiration came from Greek traders within Rome's walls, then the power the plebeians possessed stemmed from Rome's need for soldiers.

^ Ptolemy of Egypt was a 4 year old child, which had recently been made a ward of Rome (no doubt with an eye on the grain supply).

[11]
.The proconsular powers (similar to those of military governors, or Proconsuls, under the old republic) gave him authority over the Roman army.^ The talented Coriolanus soon defeated the Roman army, driving them before him, until he and his Volscian army besieged Rome itself.

^ In 137 BC again a Roman army found itself trapped by those it was supposed to be besieging.

^ Lucius Scipio had no great experience of military matters and hence his older brother Scipio Africanus accompanied him to oversee the army.

.He was also given powers that, under the republic, had been reserved for the Senate and the assemblies, including the right to declare war, to ratify treaties, and to negotiate with foreign leaders.^ But when this was put to the popular assembly of the comitia centuriata for a formal declaration of war, it was overwhelmingly defeated.

^ Rather than accept the treaty, the senate claimed Mancinus had had no right to negotiate it and decided to hand over the hapless commander to the Numantines.

^ (Technically, power over declarations of war and peace lay with the comitia centuriata and foreign policy with the senate.

[12]
The emperor also had the authority to carry out a range of duties that had been performed by the censors, including the power to control senate membership.[13] In addition, the emperor controlled the religious institutions, since, as emperor, he was always Pontifex Maximus and a member of each of the four major priesthoods.[12] .While these distinctions were clearly defined during the early empire, eventually they were lost, and the emperor's powers became less constitutional and more monarchical.^ Serious as all these revolts sound, they could only have helped tip the balance if the Samnites still were equal to Roman power.

^ These "Sons of the Count," Cometopuli , eventually got an Emperor back after Boris and his brother Romanus escaped captivity.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The success of this coup was a chilling precursor to the eventual Fall of the Western Empire, whose final Emperors became the futile play things of Germanic commanders.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[14]
.Realistically, the main support of an emperor's power and authority was the military.^ The Second Samnite War The period between the Great Latin War and the Second Samnite War saw the two main military powers jostling for position on the Italian mainland.

Being paid by the imperial treasury, the legionaries also swore an annual military oath of loyalty towards him, called the Sacramentum.[15]
The death of an emperor led to a crucial period of uncertainty and crisis. .In theory the senate was entitled to choose the new emperor, but most emperors chose their own successors, usually a close family member.^ After Gundobad, a nephew of Ricimer and shortly to be King of Burgundy (where he would outlive most of his contemporaries), briefly had his own figurehead on the throne, a new nominee of the Eastern Emperor, Julius Nepos, was installed.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Many Emperors, of course, wanted to associate their sons with them to arrange for their succession; but in the violent ends of most Emperors, the sons usually died with them.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

The new emperor had to seek a swift acknowledgement of his new status and authority in order to stabilize the political landscape. No emperor could hope to survive, much less to reign, without the allegiance and loyalty of the Praetorian Guard and of the legions. To secure their loyalty, several emperors paid the donativum, a monetary reward.

Senate

The Curia Julia in the Roman Forum, the seat of the Senate.
.While the Roman assemblies continued to meet after the founding of the empire, their powers were all transferred to the Roman Senate, and so senatorial decrees (senatus consulta) acquired the full force of law.^ The Roman force was all but annihilated.

^ They would soon become a loose cannon within the Empire, shattering essential supports of Roman power as the tribe rolled around.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The office of the Roman Consuls, and dating by them, continues under the Empire until Justinian .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[16]
.In theory, the emperor and the senate were two equal branches of government, but the actual authority of the senate was negligible and it was largely a vehicle through which the emperor disguised his autocratic powers under a cloak of republicanism.^ The senate under the guidance of Fabius largely took control of matters.

^ It argued that the two consuls had not possessed the authority to accept such conditions without prior sanction by the senate of Rome.

^ But Augustus otherwise assembled offices and authority sufficient to explain the power that he had actually obtained by force.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Still prestigious and respected, the Senate was largely a glorified rubber stamp institution which had been stripped of most of its powers, and was largely at the emperor's mercy.^ The senate also still remembered the arrogant lecture it had received by the Rhodians, when Roman power in Greece had seemed to be on the wane.

Many emperors showed a certain degree of respect towards this ancient institution, while others were notorious for ridiculing it. During senate meetings, the emperor sat between the two consuls,[17] and usually acted as the presiding officer. .Higher ranking senators spoke before lower ranking senators, although the emperor could speak at any time.^ It would be some time before the Bulgars could be seriously defeated, much less subdued.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[17] By the third century, the senate had been reduced to a glorified municipal body.

Senators and equestrians

No emperor could rule the empire without the Senatorial order and the Equestrian order. .Most of the more important posts and offices of the government were reserved for the members of these two aristocratic orders.^ The brief tenures of Cato the Elder and Gracchus were merely short interludes in which governance was said to be fair due to the upstanding nature of these two individuals.

^ More so, with Rome’s acquisition of the mountain forests, she soon began the irresponsible logging of these important woodlands.

^ More than an affectation, this practice accompanies the circumstance that the earliest and most interesting and important literature in these languages, especially for new scholars, is in the Attic and Ciceronian dialects -- from Thucydides and Plato to Caesar and Cicero himself.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

It was from among their ranks that the provincial governors, legion commanders, and similar officials were chosen.
These two classes were hereditary and mostly closed to outsiders. Very successful and favoured individuals could enter, but this was a rare occurrence. The careers of the young aristocrats was influenced by their family connections and the favour of patrons. As important as ability, knowledge, skill, or competence; patronage was considered vital for a successful career and the highest posts and offices required the emperor's favour and trust.

Senatorial order

The son of a senator was expected to follow the Cursus honorum, a career ladder, and the more prestigious positions were restricted to senators only. .A senator also had to be wealthy; one of the basic requirements was the wealth of 12,000 gold aurei [18] (about 100 kg of gold), a figure which would later be raised with the passing of centuries.^ The Carthaginian army consisted of 12,000 infantry, 4,000 cavalry and 100 elephants.

Equestrian order

Below the Senatorial order was the Equestrian order. The requirements and posts reserved for this class, while perhaps not so prestigious, were still very important. .Some of the more vital posts, like the governorship of Aegyptus, were even forbidden to the members of the Senatorial order and available only to equestrians.^ Whether anything quite like this happened or not, however, Bulgaria only lasted four more years before being annexed.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Military

The Roman empire under Hadrian (ruled 117-138) showing the location of the Roman legions deployed in AD 125

Legions

.During and after the civil war, Octavian reduced the huge number of the legions (over 60)[19] to a much more manageable and affordable size (28)[19].^ One major effect the wars had had on Roman society was to reduce the number of patricians significantly.

^ A later Empire that is Christian, more somberly moralistic, and more beset with war, sounds like a different civilization, which it is, and isn't.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ More so, Rome’s destruction of Capua, Italy’s foremost city of trade, during the war with Hannibal undoubtedly had only furthered Punic dominance.

Several legions, particularly those with doubtful loyalties, were simply disbanded. Other legions were amalgamated, a fact suggested by the title Gemina (Twin)[19].
.In AD 9, Germanic tribes wiped out three full legions in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.^ She had three legions which were sent out, commanded by the consuls, to shadow Hannibal’s army, making any assault impossible.

^ In his attempt to extend Roman power to the Elbe, Augustus lost three Legions at the battle of the Teutoburger Wald in 9 AD. The numbers of the lost Legions were never used again (likewise with the Legions later disbanded for rebellion).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Varus by Arminius, destruction of three legions, abandonment of Germany, 9 AD; Alexandrian Year , 23 BC .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

This disastrous event reduced the number of the legions to 25. The total of the legions would later be increased again and for the next 300 years always be a little above or below 30.[20]
.Augustus also created the Praetorian Guard: nine cohorts ostensibly to maintain the public peace which were garrisoned in Italy.^ The Roman Army under Augustus contained 28 Legions ( Legio , Legiones ), not counting the Praetorian Guard.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Better paid than the legionaries, the Praetorians also served less time; instead of serving the standard 25 years of the legionaries, they retired after 16 years of service.^ They would continue to do so for more than three centuries -- the first reference to Englishmen in the service of Romania was in 1088, the last in 1404 -- 316 years.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Models now, however, can look much, much better -- the models for Lord of the Rings (2001) even came to be called "big-atures" instead of "miniatures" they were so large; and even better than that, shots can be done digitally.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[21]

Auxillia

While the Auxillia (Latin: auxilia = supports) are not as famous as the legionaries, they were of major importance. Unlike the legionaries, the auxilia were recruited from among the non-citizens. .Organized in smaller units of roughly cohort strength, they were paid less than the legionaries, and after 25 years of service were rewarded with Roman citizenship, also extended to their sons.^ Possibly, the Romans ceded them control of cities they had conquered from them, yet this is little more than guesswork.

^ However, this does not count the Auxilia , units like cavalry and others that consisted of those who are not Roman citizens (though they gained citizenship from service).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The raid by the Roman legions was horrific and no less than 150,000 Epirots were carried away into slavery and sold.

According to Tacitus [22] there were roughly as many auxiliaries as there were legionaries. .Since at this time there were 25 legions of around 5,000 men each, the auxilia thus amounted to around 125,000 men, implying approximately 250 auxiliary regiments.^ Since there are references to Englishmen but not to Scandinavians in the Varangian Guard of the Palaeologi , this may be last the time when Norse warriors actively traveled to Constantinople [cf.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As befitting his reputation, Pyrrhus arrived with an army of 25,000 men, drawn from various quarters of the ‘successor states’ to Alexander’s empire.

^ Treadgold estimates the total Army, legions plus auxiliaries, at around 385,000 men.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[23]

Navy

The Roman Navy (Latin: Classis, lit. ."fleet") not only aided in the supply and transport of the legions, but also helped in the protection of the frontiers in the rivers Rhine and Danube.^ Meanwhile, Augustus had secured the Rhine-Danube frontier, and Claudius conquered most of Britain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Augustus originally wanted an Elbe-Danube frontier, but one of his armies (of three legions) was caught in a catastrophic ambush and destroyed.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Another of its duties was the protection of the very important maritime trade routes against the threat of pirates. .Therefore it patrolled the whole of the Mediterranean, parts of the North Atlantic (coasts of Hispania, Gaul, and Britannia), and had also a naval presence in the Black Sea.^ Antiochus III of Syria, who had lost control of the sea in the naval war, meanwhile withdrew his troops from the coasts in Asia Minor, awaiting the Roman attack.

Nevertheless the army was considered the senior and more prestigious branch.[24]

Provinces

In the old days of the Republic the governorships of the provinces were traditionally [25] awarded to members of the Senatorial Order. Augustus' reforms changed this policy.

Imperial provinces

.Augustus created [25] the Imperial provinces.^ In 129 BC consul M. Aquilius created the province of ‘ Asia ’, thereby officially incorporating this wealthy territory into the imperial framework of the republic.

.Most, but not all, of the Imperial provinces were relatively recent conquests and located at the borders.^ This, as it happened, involved all the most organized states on the borders of Rome, excepting only Kush .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Thereby the overwhelming majority of legions, which were stationed at the frontiers, were under direct Imperial control.^ While the Palaeologi, building on the success of Nicaea, reestablished Greek rule, only Epirus of the other successor states came back under Imperial control.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Very important was the Imperial province of Aegyptus (modern Egypt), the major breadbasket of the empire, whose grain supply was vital to feed the masses in Rome.^ Ptolemy of Egypt was a 4 year old child, which had recently been made a ward of Rome (no doubt with an eye on the grain supply).

^ These modern systems, although voted in by popular majorities who like "free lunch" welfare politics, are run by bureaucrats whose behavior, of course, is "very rarely civil" either to contributors or beneficiaries.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Masinissa in turn now became King of Numidia, which meant the vitally important Numidian horsemen now would serve Rome in greater numbers than Carthage.

It was considered the personal fiefdom of the emperor, and Senators were forbidden to even visit this province. The governor of Aegyptus and the commanders of any legion stationed there were not from the Senatorial Order, but were chosen by the emperor from among the members of the lower Equestrian Order.

Senatorial provinces

The old traditional policy continued largely unchanged in the Senatorial provinces. .Due to their location, away from the borders, and to the fact that they were under longer Roman sovereignty and control, these provinces were largely peaceful and stable.^ Roman losses are not known but the sheer scale of the contests suggests they will have lost a large number of men.

^ Tripolitania apparently also came under Roman rule, but was kept separate from the African province.

^ The senate under the guidance of Fabius largely took control of matters.

.Only a single legion was based in a Senatorial province: Legio III Augusta, stationed in the Senatorial province of Africa (modern northern Algeria).^ One Legion from the campaign, Legio X Fretensis , remains in Judaea, while the other two that were given to Vespasian at the beginning of the campaign, Legio V Macedonica and Legio XV Apollinaris , have returned to the stations on the Danube.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Legio III Gallica , Legio III Cyrenaica , Legio III Augusta pia fidelis , Legio III Italica concors , and Legio III Parthica .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Thus, Septimius Severus raised legions for his attack on the Parthians (195 AD), which quite logically are numbered Legio I Parthica, Legio II Parthica, & Legio III Parthica .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

The status of a province was subject to change; it could change from Senatorial towards Imperial, or vice-versa. This happened several times [25] during Augustus' reign. .Another trend was to create new provinces, mostly by dividing older ones, or by expanding the empire.^ Trajan was the first Emperor born in the provinces (Spain) and briefly, with his Mesopotamian campaign, expanded the Empire to its greatest extent.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ His son Gallienus then endured one invasion and disaster after another, with the Empire actually beginning to break up.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ A new province of Macedonia was created mainly from the territories of Macedon, Thessaly and Epirus.

Religion

.As the empire expanded, and came to include people from a variety of cultures, the worship of an ever increasing number of deities was tolerated and accepted.^ A last chance to recoup things for the whole Empire came in 468, after Leo had gotten Ricimer to accept the Theodosian relative Anthemius as Western Emperor.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The imperial government, and the Romans in general, tended to be very tolerant towards most religions and cults, so long as they did not cause trouble.^ Although St. Patrick's solicitude for the Irish anywhere is understandable, Christians in general did not worry about enslaving pagans -- which is why the word "slave" is derived from "Slav," who were enslaved long before they converted to Christianity.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The news caused panic in the Roman camp and most present fled towards the ships.

^ They were the first Roman dynasty with a surname, which shows some of the social changes that took place during the long period of the Macedonians.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.This could easily be accepted by other faiths as Roman liturgy and ceremonies were frequently tailored to fit local culture and identity.^ She could do little but accept defeat and cede control of Sardinia and Corsica to the Romans.

^ In fact so free from direct Roman domination were the allies that they could accept citizens exiled from Rome.

An individual could attend to both the Roman Gods representing his Roman identity and his own personal faith, which was considered part of his personal identity. There were periodic persecutions of various religions at various points in time, most notably that of Christians. As the historian Edward Gibbon noted, however, most of the recorded histories of Christian persecutions come to us through the Christian church, which had an incentive to exaggerate the degree to which the persecutions occurred. The non-Christian contemporary sources only mention the persecutions passingly and without assigning great importance to them.

Imperial cult

.In an effort to enhance loyalty, the inhabitants of the empire were called to participate in the Imperial cult to revere (usually deceased) emperors as demigods.^ Emperors of the Roman and the so-called Byzantine Empires; Princes, Kings, and Tsars of Numidia, Judaea, Bulgaria, Serbia, Wallachia, & Moldavia; and the Sultâns of Rûm .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Few emperors claimed to be Gods while living, with the few exceptions being emperors who were widely regarded at the time to be insane (such as Caligula).^ In time, the Emperor came to be regarded as superior to any mere king, as the reach and authority of many Emperors was indeed great beyond precedent or (local) comparison.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Al-Harith II himself, with the epithet "ibn Maria" and living in the time of Constantine, is likely to be the tribal chief who converted to Christianity.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Doing so in the early empire would have risked revealing the shallowness of what the emperor Augustus called the "restored republic" and would have had a decidedly eastern quality to it.^ In the early days of the Roman republic all power would reside in the hands of the Roman aristocracy, the so-called patricians ( patricii ).

^ His colleague Aurelian then substantially restores the Empire, only to suffer assassination, initiating a new round of revolving Emperors.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Indeed, Christian Emperors, beginning with Constantine, would always be portrayed with halos , like saints, and were called the "Equal of the Apostles."
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.It was, for example, his attempt to make himself a god (in the mold of the kings of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, which he had conquered) that helped to turn Alexander the Great's troops against him.^ The Roman Court now begins to adopt the structures and ritual of the Persian Court , where the Great King has always been semi-divine.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Alexander was killed after the overdue reality check of battle, against the newly aggressive Persians .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Recognising that the tide had turned against him, Pyrrhus returned home to Epirus.

.Since the tool was mostly one the emperor used to control his subjects, its usefulness was greatest in the chaotic later empire, when the emperors were often Christians and unwilling to participate in the practice.^ Trajan was the first Emperor born in the provinces (Spain) and briefly, with his Mesopotamian campaign, expanded the Empire to its greatest extent.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As the first Emperor with a very clearly Greek name ( Dioclês , before being Latinized to Diocletianus ), Diocletian foreshadows the later Greek character of the Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Since Odoacer, de jure , was a faithful officer of the Emperor in Constantinople, one could say that the last institutional existence of the Western Empire surived until Odoacer was overthrown by the Ostrogoths in 493.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Usually, an emperor was deified after his death by his successor in an attempt by that successor to enhance his own prestige. This practice can be misunderstood, however, since "deification" was to the ancient world what canonization is to the Christian world. Likewise, the term "God" had a different context in the ancient world. .This could be seen during the years of the Roman Republic with religio-political practices such as the disbanding of a senate session if it was believed the Gods disapproved of the session or wished a particular vote.^ Had she seen her dominance of the Mediterranean acknowledged as far as Syria and Egypt, a defeat by Macedon would rendered such Roman authority nil and void.

^ The office of the Roman Consuls, the chief executive officers of the Roman Republic , and dating by them, continued under the Empire until Justinian, who now replaces them with dating by Regal years.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The shadow of the Republic persisted during this period, and someone like Claudius could still dream of restoring full Republican government.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Deification was one of the many honors a dead emperor was entitled to, as the Romans (more than modern societies) placed great prestige on honors and national recognitions.^ Indeed, the Romans were rather more successful than is usually thought.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ No Confucian venerated ancestors in a household shrine more devoutly than the pious Roman.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But that is a key point: the Diaspora population is mostly going to be urban; but the urban population of the Roman Empire is unlikely to have been more than 20% of the whole.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The importance of the Imperial cult slowly grew, reaching its peak during the Crisis of the Third Century.^ If the decadence of pagan religion and despotic emperors was going to be the cause of the "fall" of Rome, then it certainly should have fallen in the Crisis of the Third Century .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ B. CRISIS OF THE THIRD CENTURY, 235-284, 49 Years This map looks like it should be from the Fifth Century .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The complexity of the following period can only be appreciated, or even understood, by reviewing the " Crisis of the Third Century " chart.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Especially in the eastern half of the empire imperial cults grew very popular.^ Mithraism, although popular in the Army (only men were initiated), was not an Imperial or prestige cult, until this dedication, Deo Soli Invicto Mithrae , "to the god Mithras the Unconquered Sun."
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.As such it was one of the major agents of romanization.^ One major effect the wars had had on Roman society was to reduce the number of patricians significantly.

The central elements of the cult complex were next to a temple; a theatre or amphitheatre for gladiator displays and other games and a public bath complex. Sometimes the imperial cult was added to the cults of an existing temple or celebrated in a special hall in the bath complex.
The seriousness of this belief is unclear. .Some Romans ridiculed the notion that a Roman emperor was to be considered a living god, or would even make fun of the deification of an emperor after his death.^ It was a sign of the magnanimity and humanity of Scipio’s that in victory he was able to show leniency, where some of his fellow Romans would have sought to utterly crush their helpless adversary.

^ Even the notoriously unreliable Roman cavalry gained some success.

^ Soon, Varangians would have little fear of traversing Russia and would begin raiding Roman territory and even attacking Constantinople.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Seneca the Younger parodied the notion of apotheosis in his only known satire The Pumpkinification of Claudius, in which the clumsy and ill-spoken Claudius is not transformed into a god, but into a pumpkin. In fact, bitter sarcasm was already effected at Claudius' funeral in 54.[26]

Absorption of foreign cults

.Since Roman religion did not have a core belief that excluded other religions several foreign gods and cults became popular.^ Mithraism, although popular in the Army (only men were initiated), was not an Imperial or prestige cult, until this dedication, Deo Soli Invicto Mithrae , "to the god Mithras the Unconquered Sun."
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Once the new religion became the State Religion of Rome, the rigor with which Judaism had rejected the old gods now became public policy, to their own disability.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Mithraism considered Mithras to be a sun god, associated and assimilated with Sol Invictus , the "Unconquered Sun," whose cult existed independently of Mithras and had been promoted since Aurelian.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

The worship of Cybele was the earliest, introduced from around 200 BC. Isis and Osiris were introduced from Egypt a century later. .Bacchus and Sol Invictus were quite important and Mithras became very popular with the military.^ That the earlier civilization didn't "fall" but merely became transformed is a truth that both academic and popular opinion still hasn't quite come to terms with.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ When Hannibal stormed the town of Cannae ( Canne ) to gain possession of its important military stores, the Roman army closed in, trapping Hannibal in a very disadvantageous position.

^ Mithraism considered Mithras to be a sun god, associated and assimilated with Sol Invictus , the "Unconquered Sun," whose cult existed independently of Mithras and had been promoted since Aurelian.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Several of these were Mystery cults. .In the first century BC Julius Caesar granted Jews the freedom to worship in Rome as a reward for their help in Alexandria.^ Rome at first resisted any appeals for help by the mercenary renegades, staying true to her obligations under the peace treaty.

^ In 312 BC by order of censor Appius Claudius Caecus, Rome began construction of the Via Appia, the first of her famous military highways.

^ In 298 BC the Lucanians in the south of Italy approached Rome for help against the Samnites who were invading their territory.

Controversial religions

Druids

Druids were seen as essentially non-Roman: a prescript of Augustus forbade Roman citizens to practice "druidical" rites. Pliny reports [27] that under Tiberius the druids were suppressed—along with diviners and physicians—by a decree of the Senate, and Claudius forbade their rites completely in AD 54.[28]

Judaism

While Judaism was largely accepted, it was on occasion subject to (mostly) local persecution.
Until the rebellion in Judea in AD 66, Jews were generally protected. .To get around Roman laws banning secret societies and to allow their freedom of worship, Julius Caesar declared Synagogues were colleges.^ While it seems natural and obvious to take Augustus as the successor to Julius Caesar and his new Imperial government as the successor to the Roman Republic, there was another way of looking at this.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ That was dangerous, indeed fatal, for the Republic; but in those terms Julius Caesar began the creation of the Roman Empire already as an "emperor."
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Tiberius [29] forbade Judaism in Rome but they quickly returned to their former protected status.^ The status of these communities was that they remained fairly independent of Rome.

^ Having expelled the Lucanian and Bruttian invaders he returned to Rome with his main force, leaving behind a protective garrison and some of the patrol vessels.

^ In essence Rome created a moral compact between herself and these towns, whereby she acted as a protective patron and they acted as her clients.

.Claudius expelled Jews from the city however the passage of Suetonius is ambiguous: "Because the Jews at Rome caused continuous disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus he [Claudius] expelled them from the city" [28].^ There were, moreover, Latin cities which even allied with the Gauls against her, thereby forcing the rest of the Latins, however reluctantly, to throw themselves under the protection of Rome.

.Chrestus has been identified as another form of Christus; the disturbances may have been related to the arrival of the first Christians, and that the Roman authorities, failing to distinguish between the Jews and the early Christians, simply decided to expel them all.^ If this is what the movie is referring to, it fails to distinguish between Britons, Picts, and Irish; and Ceretic is certainly in no need of being rescued by Romans for cruelty to those he ruled.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Related earlier history may be found at "Historical Background to Greek Philosophy" and "Hellenistic Monarchs" , and the "Consuls of the Roman Republic" .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Was the first act of the war the siege of Messana, by the joint forces of Carthage and Syracuse, the arrival of the Roman consular army under Appius Claudius made an end of it.

Christianity

The Christian Martyrs' Last Prayer, by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1883). Roman Colosseum.
.Christianity, originally a Jewish religious sect, emerged in Roman Judea in the first century AD. The religion gradually spread out of Judea, initially establishing major bases in first Antioch, then Alexandria, and over time throughout the Empire.^ Gradually, the Limitanei fade from historical view and hardly seem to exist at all by the time German tribes cross the borders en masse in the Fifth Century.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Even in the time of the Ptolemies , Alexandria already had a very large Jewish population.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Knowing their case futile, the Carthaginians took on the might of the Roman empire one last time.

.For the first two centuries, the imperial authorities largely viewed Christianity simply as a Jewish sect rather than a distinct religion.^ This confirmed that Italy rather than Romania would be the center of trade and naval power in the Christian Mediterranean.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They would continue to do so for more than three centuries -- the first reference to Englishmen in the service of Romania was in 1088, the last in 1404 -- 316 years.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Pope Innocent III wasn't too happy about it either, and the Crusaders earned excommunication for fighting Christians, for Venice, rather than Moslems, for Christendom.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Suetonius mentions passingly that: "[during Nero's reign] Punishments were also inflicted on the Christians, a sect professing a new and mischievous religious belief" [30] but he does not explain for what they were punished.
.Tacitus reports that after the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64 some in the population held Nero responsible [31] and that to diffuse blame, he targeted and blamed the Christians.^ The effect of the 'Great Latin War' was to tighten Rome's grip upon Latium and to provide her with more lands upon which to settle her ever-increasing agricultural population.

[31] .The war against the Jews during Nero's reign, which so destabilized the empire that it led to the first civil war since the days of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, as well as Nero's suicide, plausibly provided an additional rationale for persecutions against this 'Jewish' sect.^ Right from the start Rome distrusted Perseus as he had plotted against his younger brother Demetrius, assuring his execution for treason, during his father’s reign.

^ This no longer seems so admirable, and the Empire founded by Julius Caesar and Augustus, as a form of government, does not look like an advance in the course of human progress.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He had served as a tribune under Marcellus during the war against Carthage.

.Persecution of Christians would be a recurring theme in the Empire for the next two centuries.^ The Empire, however, would never be able to remain strong without the themes, and their collapse at the end of the 11th century would be the end of Romania as a hegemonic power.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ B. CRISIS OF THE FIFTH CENTURY, 379-476, 97 Years The map shows the key incursions that would fatally undermine the Western Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In the second century of the Christian era, the Empire of Rome comprehended the fairest part of the earth, and the most civilised portion of mankind.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Eusebius and Lactantius document the last great persecution of the Christians under Diocletian at the beginning of the 4th century at the urging of Galerius.^ Despite the rich literature of the 4th century, Diocletian never got a Tacitus or Suetonius, and what Ammianus Marcellinus may have said about him is now lost.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.This was the most vicious persecution of Christians in the Empire's history.^ In the second century of the Christian era, the Empire of Rome comprehended the fairest part of the earth, and the most civilised portion of mankind.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

As the 4th century progressed, Christianity had become so widespread that it became officially tolerated, then promoted (Constantine I), and in 380 established as the Empire's official religion (Theodosius I). .By the 5th century Christianity had become the Empire's predominant religion rapidly changing the Empire's identity even as the Western provinces collapsed.^ These are the commanders-in-chief of the Western Army (distiguished by purple color), with the Master of Soldiers becoming the effective "Generalissimo" of the Western Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ More than the coup of Odoacer in 476, this signaled a real institutional change in the Western Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In the Middle Ages, this was regarded as a triumphant period, when the Roman Empire was redeemed and ennobled with its conversion to and transformation by Christianity -- becoming a "Romania" whose name is now not even familiar as the name of the Roman Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[32] This would lead to the persecution of the traditional polytheistic religions that had previously characterized most of the Empire.

Languages

.The language of Rome before its expansion was Latin, and this became the empire's official language.^ As the first Emperor with a very clearly Greek name ( Dioclês , before being Latinized to Diocletianus ), Diocletian foreshadows the later Greek character of the Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Justinian spoke Latin, but in time Greek became the Court language at Constantinople.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Since the Latin alphabet is used here, and since the Roman Empire originally used Latin as its universal language, never forgotten in Greek Romania, that is the practice here.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.By the time of the imperial period Latin began evolving into two languages: the 'high' written Classical Latin and the 'low' spoken Vulgar Latin.^ Justinian spoke Latin, but in time Greek became the Court language at Constantinople.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Second Samnite War The period between the Great Latin War and the Second Samnite War saw the two main military powers jostling for position on the Italian mainland.

^ Over time their powers were increasingly limited, as Venice evolved into an oligarchic Republic.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.While Classical Latin remained relatively stable, even through the Middle Ages, Vulgar Latin as with any spoken language was fluid and evolving.^ There were shameful exceptions to this toleration, but through the Middle Ages the overwhelming majority of Church authorities staunchly condemned attacks on the Jews.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Although sacked by the Goths, the Huns, and the Lombards, Venetia remained the most important city of the region for most of the middle ages.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Vlach language of the Principalities, not a written language in the Middle Ages, came to be written in the Cyrillic alphabet .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Vulgar Latin became the lingua franca in the western provinces, later evolving into the modern Romance languages: Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, etc.^ The unified country itself became first "Roumania" or "Rumania," later further Latinized into "România," and soon the Cyrillic alphabet was traded in for the Latin alphabet, as the Roman roots of the people were increasingly emphasized.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Italians are now gone (there being the Schism and all), but there are also (modern) Romanians present, though they do not have their own monastery.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In Switzerland we do have Italian speakers, but there is also a separate Romance language, Romansh, part of the Rhaeto-Romance group ( Rätoromanische Sprache -- named after the Roman province of Raetia).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Greek and Classical Latin were considered the languages of literature, scholarship, and education.^ In the early days of the dynasty we get a benchmark on the survival of Classical and later Greek literature.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ These are the languages, our Classical languages of Western civilization, and their literature, that we do not want forgotten -- while they are in greater danger in our time than ever before: a Shakespeare with "little Latin and less Greek" is a scholar of Classics compared to most graduates of modern universities.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Justinian spoke Latin, but in time Greek became the Court language at Constantinople.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Although Latin remained the official and most widely spoken language through to the fall of Rome and for some centuries after in the East, the Greek language was the literary language and sometimes the lingua franca in the Eastern Provinces.^ Keeping up appearances, Rome remained officially at war with Syracuse.

^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If the decadence of pagan religion and despotic emperors was going to be the cause of the "fall" of Rome, then it certainly should have fallen in the Crisis of the Third Century .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[33] .With the exception of Carthage, the Romans generally did not attempt to supplant local cultures and languages.^ Afterwards, Carthage itself, although not deliberately destroyed as the Romans once did, simply fades from history.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In 152 BC a Roman delegation under P.Scipio Nasica did find in favour of Carthage and did order Masinissa to return some of the territory.

.They generally left established customs in place and only gradually supplemented with the typical Roman-style improvements.^ In the movie, the Iazyges are called "Sarmatians," which they were, but the more general name obscures the unique experience of the Iazyges in being settled and assimilated as Roman soldiers.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But the changes that take place are mostly, as they had been for some time, gradual.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Romans gradually increased their influence in Campania, founding colonies in strategic places, helping to secure Capua against any threat from the Samnites.

[34]. .Along with Greek, many other languages of different tribes were used but almost without expression in writing.^ The units, though most likely of superb quality, spoke different languages and had no experience of fighting alongside each other as an army.

^ Since the Latin alphabet is used here, and since the Roman Empire originally used Latin as its universal language, never forgotten in Greek Romania, that is the practice here.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Greek was already widely spoken in many cities in the east, and as such, the Romans were quite content to retain it as an administrative language there rather than impede bureaucratic efficiency.^ Indeed, the Romans were rather more successful than is usually thought.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In Switzerland we do have Italian speakers, but there is also a separate Romance language, Romansh, part of the Rhaeto-Romance group ( Rätoromanische Sprache -- named after the Roman province of Raetia).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Faced with that choice it was little wonder Hiero chose the Romans rather than Greece’s ancient Phoenician enemy.

.Hence, two official secretaries served in the Roman Imperial court, one charged with correspondence in Latin and the other with correspondence in Greek for the East.^ Justinian spoke Latin, but in time Greek became the Court language at Constantinople.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Septimius Severus himself was one of the two Roman Emperors ( Constantius Chlorus was the other) to die (a natural death) at York (Eboracum) in Britain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ While the Palaeologi, building on the success of Nicaea, reestablished Greek rule, only Epirus of the other successor states came back under Imperial control.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[35] Thus in the Eastern Province, as with all provinces, original languages were retained.[36][37]
.Moreover, the process of hellenisation continued more extensively during the Roman period, for the Romans perpetuated "Hellenistic" culture,[38][39][nb 4] but with all the trappings of Roman improvements.^ They were the first Roman dynasty with a surname, which shows some of the social changes that took place during the long period of the Macedonians.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Yet for all his ability, Hamilcar never had enough troops under his command to do anything more than to harass and stifle Roman efforts.

^ Regulus however successfully harangued the Roman senators to continue the fight against her enemy at all cost.

[40][41] .This further spreading of "Hellenistic" culture (and therefore language) was largely due to the extensive infrastructure (in the form of entertainment, health, and education amenities, and extensive transportation networks, etc.^ Rome was to be one of the great civilizing forces of history, destined to spread Hellenistic culture into the far flung reaches of the ancient world.

) put in place by the .Romans and their tolerance of, and inclusion of, other cultures, a characteristic which set them apart from the xenophobic nature of the Greeks preceding them.^ Nothing is really known about the nature of this first Roman victory at sea other than that the corvus played a part.

^ Greek influence ended up predominating, but the Bulgars continued jealous of their autonomy -- the precedent of an autocephalous Church set the pattern for other Orthodox Churches, as in Russia , created under Roman auspices.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Septimius Severus himself was one of the two Roman Emperors ( Constantius Chlorus was the other) to die (a natural death) at York (Eboracum) in Britain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[34]
.Since the Roman annexation of Greece in 146 BC, the Greek language gradually obtained a unique place in the Roman world, owing initially to the large number of Greek slaves in Roman households.^ Savage atrocities were committed against Greek and Roman slave owners alike.

^ Nonetheless, it stands to reason that 146 BC was one of the darkest years of Roman history.

^ Roman losses are not known but the sheer scale of the contests suggests they will have lost a large number of men.

[34] .In Rome itself Greek became the second language of the educated elite.^ Justinian spoke Latin, but in time Greek became the Court language at Constantinople.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Rome found itself invariably drawn into the machinations of Greek politics and wars.

[34][42] .It became the common language in the early Church (as its major centers in the early Christian period were in the East), and the language of scholarship and the arts.^ It took a few more centuries before surnames became common among European Christians of all classes.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Christian churches of the period often look like piles of bowls or dark fruitcakes.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.However, due to the presence of other widely spoken languages in the densely populated east, such as Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Aramaic and Phoenician (which was also extensively spoken in North Africa), Greek never took as strong a hold beyond Asia Minor (some urban enclaves notwithstanding) as Latin eventually did in the west.^ Had it not been for his genius the Second Punic War would never have lasted as long as it did or been of the scale and scope it took.

^ If at first this was rejected, Rome did eventually agree to such an alliance, recognising that whatever Pyrrhus’ plans, he was their joint enemy.

This is partly evident in the extent to which the derivative languages are spoken today. .Like Latin, the language gained a dual nature with the literary language, an Attic Greek variant, existing alongside spoken language, Koine Greek, which evolved into Medieval or Byzantine Greek (Romaic).^ The units, though most likely of superb quality, spoke different languages and had no experience of fighting alongside each other as an army.

^ With the Latins, the Empire fragmented into multiple Greek and non-Greek contenders: Nicaea, Epirus, Trebizond, Bulgaria, and Serbia, not to mention the Turks .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ And indeed, where Greek and Latin are taught today, the student, as it happens, begins with Attic Greek and Ciceronian Latin.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[43]
.By the 4th century AD, Greek no longer held such dominance over Latin in the Church, arts and sciences as it had previously, resulting to a great extent from the growth of the western provinces (reflected, for example, in the publication in the early 5th century AD of the Vulgate Bible, the first officially accepted Latin Bible; before this only Greek translations were accepted).^ Rome no longer dominated a Latin alliance.

^ Trajan was the first Emperor born in the provinces (Spain) and briefly, with his Mesopotamian campaign, expanded the Empire to its greatest extent.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The conquest of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade did not result in the establishment of the authority of the Latin Emperors over the whole of the previous Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.As the Western Empire declined, the number of people who spoke both Greek and Latin declined as well, contributing greatly to the future EastWest / OrthodoxCatholic cultural divide in Europe.^ While the conquest and sack of Constantinople have rightly been regarded as one of the worst cases of vandalism and betrayal in world history, a stab in the back against the state and the civilization that had been the repository and guardian of Classical, Western, and Christian culture during most of the Middle Ages, and an insult by Latin, Frankish, Western Europe against the Greek and Orthodox East, one thing must be admitted: This was not what the Crusaders had in mind.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Despite the loss of most of Europe and continuing Arab raids into Anatolia, the population and the economy of the empire were actually growing, and Nicephorus was able to start transplanting colonies of people from the east back into Greece.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As the first Emperor with a very clearly Greek name ( Dioclês , before being Latinized to Diocletianus ), Diocletian foreshadows the later Greek character of the Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Important as both languages were, today the descendants of Latin are widely spoken in many parts of the world, while the Greek dialects are limited mostly to Greece, Cyprus, and small enclaves in Turkey and Southern Italy (where the Eastern Empire retained control for several more centuries).^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ With Rome’s conquest of southern Italy, or Magna Graecia as it was known, she now invariably entered the contest of commercial interests on the side of the Greeks.

^ The great Carthaginian controlled much of southern Italy, but dotted throughout this territory were Roman fortresses, prepared to hold out and hindering his ability to manoeuvre.

.To some degree this can be attributed to the fact that the western provinces fell mainly to "Latinised" Christian tribes whereas the eastern provinces fell to Muslim Arabs and Turks for whom Greek held less cultural significance.^ With less to show for its life in this period, the city fell to the Arabs in 698.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ That the gold coinage of the solidus still exists at all, however, is testimony to the fact that the prosperity and material culture of Romania never fell as far as it did in Francia .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Culture

Roman clad in a toga
.Life in the Roman Empire revolved around the city of Rome, and its famed seven hills.^ The treaty seems to have made a significant distinction between areas under direct Roman protection and cities who were mere allies of Rome.

^ Aftermath to the Fall of Carthage The immediately evident effect of Rome’s victory was that the city Utica was now made capital of the new Roman province of Africa.

^ The wall spanned five miles in circumference with nineteen gates, embracing all seven hills of Rome.

The city also had several theatres.[44] gymnasiums, and many taverns, baths and brothels. .Throughout the territory under Rome's control, residential architecture ranged from very modest houses to country villas, and in the capital city of Rome, to the residences on the elegant Palatine Hill, from which the word "palace" is derived.^ If Rome now controlled the Italian peninsula, essentially there was three different categories of territory within her realm.

^ The competition for the throne in 193 was not very edifying, and absolutely none of the players appear in Gladiator , not even Pertinax, the prefect of the city of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

The vast majority of the population lived in the city centre, packed into apartment blocks.
.Most Roman towns and cities had a forum and temples, as did the city of Rome itself.^ Roman domes could do what most Roman temples did not try to do.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The city of Rome itself still remained safe.

^ The talented Coriolanus soon defeated the Roman army, driving them before him, until he and his Volscian army besieged Rome itself.

Aqueducts were built to bring water to urban centres[45] and wine and oil were imported from abroad. Landlords generally resided in cities and their estates were left in the care of farm managers. .To stimulate a higher labour productivity, many landlords freed a large numbers of slaves.^ Roughly 14,000 Greek ramshackle infantry, consisting to a large part of freed slaves, and 600 cavalry faced 23,000 Roman infantry and 3,500 cavalry.

^ From the few and questionable foreign marriages of the Macedonians , with the Comneni we find a large number of well attested ones, many with Crusaders but one making connections as distant as Spain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.By the time of Augustus, cultured Greek household slaves taught the Roman young (sometimes even the girls).^ Savage atrocities were committed against Greek and Roman slave owners alike.

^ Roughly 14,000 Greek ramshackle infantry, consisting to a large part of freed slaves, and 600 cavalry faced 23,000 Roman infantry and 3,500 cavalry.

Greek sculptures adorned Hellenistic landscape gardening on the Palatine or in the villas.
Many aspects of Roman culture were taken from the Greeks.[46] In architecture and sculpture, the difference between Greek models and Roman paintings are apparent. The chief Roman contributions to architecture were the arch and the dome.
The centre of the early social structure was the family,[47] which was not only marked by blood relations but also by the legally constructed relation of patria potestas.[48] The Pater familias was the absolute head of the family; he was the master over his wife, his children, the wives of his sons, the nephews, the slaves and the freedmen, disposing of them and of their goods at will, even putting them to death.[49] .Originally, only patrician aristocracy enjoyed the privilege of forming familial clans, or gens, as legal entities; later, in the wake of political struggles and warfare, clients were also enlisted.^ The patricians put up a brave struggle to defend their privileges.

^ The Later Conflict of the Orders The Gauls having withdrawn and Rome being the confirmed leader of Latium, the old struggle between the patricians and the plebeians renewed in intensity again.

Thus, such plebian gentes were the first formed, imitating their patrician counterparts.[50]
Slavery and slaves were part of the social order; there were slave markets where they could be bought and sold. Many slaves were freed by the masters for services rendered; some slaves could save money to buy their freedom. Generally mutilation and murder of slaves was prohibited by legislation. .It is estimated that over 25% of the Roman population was enslaved.^ I am not familiar with the basis of this estimate, but I am familiar with the difficulty of estimating Roman population at all.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[51][52] .Professor Gerhard Rempel from the Western New England College claims that in the city of Rome alone, during the Empire, there were about 400,000 slaves.^ By about the time of Manzikert, there were interesting new recruits to the Varangian Guard.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Hannibal is at the gates !’) (211 BC) No doubt there was a fair share of panic at the news that Rome’s most terrible enemy was before the very walls of the city.

^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[53]
.The city of Rome had a place called the Campus Martius ("Field of Mars"), which was a sort of drill ground for Roman soldiers.^ In the movie, the Iazyges are called "Sarmatians," which they were, but the more general name obscures the unique experience of the Iazyges in being settled and assimilated as Roman soldiers.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ By order of the senate the city was razed to the ground, the place was ritually cursed and the soil was strewn with salt.

Later, the Campus became Rome's track and field playground. In the campus, the youth assembled to play and exercise, which included jumping, wrestling, boxing and racing. Riding, throwing, and swimming were also preferred physical activities.[54]
In the countryside, pastimes also included fishing and hunting. Board games played in Rome included Dice (Tesserae or Tali), Roman Chess (Latrunculi), Roman Checkers (Calculi), Tic-tac-toe (Terni Lapilli), and Ludus duodecim scriptorum and Tabula, predecessors of backgammon.[54] There were several other activities to keep people engaged like chariot races, musical and theatrical performances,

Clothing, dining, and the arts

.Roman clothing fashions changed little from the late Republic to the end of the Western empire 600 years later [55].^ More than the coup of Odoacer in 476, this signaled a real institutional change in the Western Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The office of the Roman Consuls, the chief executive officers of the Roman Republic , and dating by them, continued under the Empire until Justinian, who now replaces them with dating by Regal years.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Sulpicius had started his campaign too late in the year, had largely inexperienced troops under his command and was showing little initiative of his own.

The cloth and the dress distinguished one class of people from the other class. .The tunic worn by plebeians (common people) like shepherds and slaves was made from coarse and dark material, whereas the tunic worn by patricians was of linen or white wool.^ Against such a background of hardship and helplessness at the hands of the nobles, the commoners (called the 'plebeians ' ( plebeii ) organized themselves against the patricians.

^ It was most likely after the First Secession in 494 BC that the patricians recognized the plebeians rights to hold meetings and to elect their officers, the 'tribunes of the people' ( tribuni plebis ).

[56] A magistrate would wear the tunica augusticlavi; senators wore a tunic with broad stripes, called tunica laticlavi. Military tunics were shorter than the ones worn by civilians. Boys, up until the festival of Liberalia, wore the toga praetexta, which was a toga with a crimson or purple border. .The toga virilis, (or toga pura) was worn by men over the age of 16 to signify their citizenship in Rome.^ In fact Rome possessed several times that number of men of fighting age.

[57]
The toga picta was worn by triumphant generals and had embroidery of their skill on the battlefield. The toga pulla was worn when in mourning. Even footwear indicated a person's social status. Patricians wore red and orange sandal, senators had brown footwear, consuls had white shoes, and soldiers wore heavy boots. Men typically wore a toga, and women a stola. The woman's stola looked different than a toga, and was usually brightly coloured. The Romans also invented socks for those soldiers required to fight on the northern frontiers, sometimes worn in sandals.[57]
.In the later empire after Diocletian's reforms, clothing worn by soldiers and non-military government bureaucrats became highly decorated, with woven or embroidered strips, clavi, and circular roundels, orbiculi, added to tunics and cloaks.^ As the first Emperor with a very clearly Greek name ( Dioclês , before being Latinized to Diocletianus ), Diocletian foreshadows the later Greek character of the Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This finally ended with Diocletian, who picked up reforming the Empire, militarily, politically, and religiously, where Aurelian had left off.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ III. THIRD EMPIRE, MIDDLE "ROMANIA," EARLY "BYZANTIUM," 610 AD-1059 AD, Era of Diocletian 327-776, 449 years .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.These decorative elements usually consisted of geometrical patterns and stylised plant motifs, but could include human or animal figures.^ Since the names of the Ghassanids include the familiar Arabic patronynmic element, ibn , the genealogy of the dynasty could actually be constructed without too much difficulty.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[58] .The use of silk also increased steadily and most courtiers of the later empire wore elaborate silk robes.^ Later versions thus increase the dramatic and miraculous elements of the event, using what later would become the most symbolic of Christianity, the Cross.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Heavy military-style belts were worn by bureaucrats as well as soldiers, revealing the general militarization of late Roman government. .Trousers—considered barbarous garments worn by Germans and Persians—were only adopted partially near the end of the empire in a sign for conservatives of cultural decay.^ The "Fourth Empire" begins with a blow, from an Islâm reinvigorated by the Turks, which represents not only a further diminution of the Empire, but a portent of the actual collapse and end of the Empire altogether.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The musical chairs of murders did not help prepare the Empire for increased activity by the Germans and Persians.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[59] .Early medieval kings and aristocrats dressed like late Roman generals, not like the older toga-clad senatorial tradition.^ What is called the Servian Wall, as Romans attributed it to King Servius Tullius (who much more likely only built the agger earthworks on the Quirinal, Viminal and Esquiline Hills), is generally believed to have been built after the retreat by the Gauls.

^ The Early Conflict of the Orders The revolt against King Tarquin and Porsenna was led entirely by the Roman nobility, so it was essentially only the Roman aristocrats (the patricii ) who held any power.

^ As the remnants of the Late Roman Army were settled on the land (like the earlier Limitanei ), there were also standing forces that accompanied the Emperor, like the old Comitatenses .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[60]
Romans had simple food habits. Staple food was simple, generally consumed at around 11 o’clock, and consisted of bread, salad, cheese, fruits, nuts, and cold meat left over from the dinner the night before. The Roman poet, Horace mentions another Roman favourite, the olive, in reference to his own diet, which he describes as very simple: "As for me, olives, endives, and smooth mallows provide sustenance."[61] The family ate together, sitting on stools around a table. Fingers were used to eat solid foods and spoons were used for soups.
Wine was considered a staple drink,[62] consumed at all meals and occasions by all classes and was quite cheap. Many types of drinks involving grapes and honey were consumed as well. Drinking on an empty stomach was regarded as boorish and a sure sign for alcoholism, whose debilitating physical and psychological effects were known to the Romans. An accurate accusation of being an alcoholic was an effective way to discredit political rivals.
.Roman literature was from its very inception influenced heavily by Greek authors.^ The very people, indeed, thanks to whom we possess Classical Greek and its literature.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Some of the earliest works we possess are of historical epics telling the early military history of Rome.^ Yet no sooner did Rome possess a commander not utterly inferior to Hannibal, then all her superiority in force of arms was made to tell.

^ Carthage had some 120 quinqueremes, whereas Rome possessed at best a few cruisers furnished by her Greek ports in southern Italy.

^ Yet the Hannibal Barca, one of the supreme military geniuses of history, was not to surrender himself to the indignity of being dragged through the streets of Rome in chains.

As the empire expanded, authors began to produce poetry, comedy, history, and tragedy. Virgil represents the pinnacle of Roman epic poetry. .His Aeneid tells the story of flight of Aeneas from Troy and his settlement of the city that would become Rome.^ A story arose that Constantine sleeps under the Golden Gate (like Barbarossa under the Kyffhäuser), or that he would reenter the City through that Gate.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Lucretius, in his On the Nature of Things, attempted to explicate science in an epic poem. The genre of satire was common in Rome, and satires were written by, among others, Juvenal[63] and Persius. Many Roman homes were decorated with landscapes by Greek artists. .Portrait sculpture[64] during the period utilized youthful and classical proportions, evolving later into a mixture of realism and idealism.^ During the honeymoon period we get the completion of St. Mark's Cathedral -- a mature Romania seeding its culture into the maturing Venice.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Advancements were also made in relief sculptures, often depicting Roman victories.^ But the losses suffered by the Romans at Ticinus and Trebia made such minor victories pale to insignificance.

^ Aftermath to the Fall of Carthage The immediately evident effect of Rome’s victory was that the city Utica was now made capital of the new Roman province of Africa.

^ Had the Carthaginians the superior naval skills and greater maneouvrability in their superior vessels, it appeared the sheer number and the quality of Roman soldiers among the Roman fleet which made any Carthaginian victory impossible.

Detail of a mosaic found in Pompeii. The figure on the left is playing the double aulos, double-reed pipes; the figure in the middle, cymbalum, small, bronze cymbals; and on the right, the tympanum, a tambourine-like drum.
Music was a major part of everyday life. The word itself derives from Greek μουσική (mousike), "(art) of the Muses".[65] Many private and public events were accompanied by music, ranging from nightly dining to military parades and manoeuvres. .In a discussion of any ancient music, however, non-specialists and even many musicians have to be reminded that much of what makes our modern music familiar to us is the result of developments only within the last 1,000 years; thus, our ideas of melody, scales, harmony, and even the instruments we use would not be familiar to Romans who made and listened to music many centuries earlier.^ Eagles were used by many to imply Roman antecedents, but the double headed eagle was adopted in particular by the Holy Roman Empire , by Imperial Russia , and by the Serbs .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They would be Roman allies until disappearing in the 11th century.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They would soon become a loose cannon within the Empire, shattering essential supports of Roman power as the tribe rolled around.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Over time, Roman architecture was modified as their urban requirements changed, and the civil engineering and building construction technology became developed and refined. .The Roman concrete has remained a riddle, and even after more than 2,000 years some Roman structures still stand magnificently.^ Indeed, the Romans were rather more successful than is usually thought.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The raid by the Roman legions was horrific and no less than 150,000 Epirots were carried away into slavery and sold.

^ It would be more than fifteen years, until in 150 BC the remaining 300 of these captives were freed and returned to Greece.

[66] .The architectural style of the capital city was emulated by other urban centres under Roman control and influence.^ While the Palaeologi, building on the success of Nicaea, reestablished Greek rule, only Epirus of the other successor states came back under Imperial control.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The treaty seems to have made a significant distinction between areas under direct Roman protection and cities who were mere allies of Rome.

Education

.Following various military conquests in the Greek East, Romans adapted a number of Greek educational precepts to their own system.^ The Roman legionary system had once again triumphed over the Greek phalanx.

^ The tragic irony of Greek history is that Greece at last found a lasting peace under Roman domination; a peace she would most likely never have accomplished on her own.

^ Furthermore Carthage had contributed free gifts of grain to Roman military operations in the east.

[67] .Home was often the learning centre, where children were taught Roman law, customs, and physical training to prepare the boys for eventual recruitment into the Roman army.^ He eventually marched his newly trained rag tag army of raw levies and mercenaries out into the open plain of Bagradas (Medjerda) where he offered battle.

^ In Gaul Hasdrubal began recruiting, building up an army in preparation for a second invasion of Italy.

^ Meanwhile the Roman army on land gradually edged Carthaginian forces out of the centre of the isle of Sicily in hard, increasingly bitter fighting.

Conforming to discipline was a point of great emphasis. Girls generally received instruction[68] from their mothers in the art of spinning, weaving, and sewing.
Education nominally began at the age of six. During the next six to seven years, both boys and girls were taught the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. .From the age of twelve, they would be learning Latin, Greek, grammar and literature, followed by training for public speaking.^ In practice this meant they would act as supreme judges and their collected judgments would be used to build the code of laws over the twelve months they were in office.

^ In the Middle Ages, the Greeks used their own word for "Greeks," Hellênes , to mean the ancient pagan Greeks, as the word is used in the New Testament -- sometimes the Latin word for Greeks would be borrowed, as Graikoi , if this was needed for contemporary reference, as for the language.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Exceptions would be for Greek words that simply have Latin translations.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Oratory was an art to be practised and learnt, and good orators commanded respect. To become an effective orator was one of the objectives of education and learning. In some cases, services of gifted slaves were utilized for imparting education.[68]

Economy

The imperial government was, as all governments, interested in the issue and control of the currency in circulation. .To mint coins was a political act: the image of the ruling emperor appeared on most issues, and coins were a means of showing his image throughout the empire.^ The conversion of the Bulgars, indeed, was a complicated political act, with sophisticated negotiations that played the Popes off the Emperors.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Also featured were predecessors, empresses, other family members, and heirs apparent.^ The sons, however, ended up with no heirs themselves, and the last family member on the throne, Julian, was one of the cousins who had escaped the massacre.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

By issuing coins with the image of an heir his legitimacy and future succession was proclaimed and reinforced. Political messages and imperial propaganda such as proclamations of victory and acknowledgements of loyalty also appeared in certain issues.
.Legally only the emperor and the Senate had the authority to mint coins inside the empire.^ The conquest of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade did not result in the establishment of the authority of the Latin Emperors over the whole of the previous Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ His colleague Aurelian then substantially restores the Empire, only to suffer assassination, initiating a new round of revolving Emperors.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[69] However the authority of the Senate was mainly in name only. .In general, the imperial government issued gold and silver coins while the Senate issued bronze coins marked by the legend "SC", short for Senatus Consulto "by decree of the Senate". However, bronze coinage could be struck without this legend.^ That the gold coinage of the solidus still exists at all, however, is testimony to the fact that the prosperity and material culture of Romania never fell as far as it did in Francia .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This was however not accomplished without the utter humiliation of the Rhodian envoys who prostrated themselves before the senators, pleading tearfully for their city not to be destroyed.

.Some Greek cities were allowed to mint [70] bronze and certain silver coins, which today are known as Greek Imperials (also Roman Colonials or Roman Provincials).^ More so, had some of these interventions seen Tarentum act in selfish disregard for the interests of other Greek cities in Magna Graecia, then these cities had come to view Tarentum with suspicion.

^ In a brief war the Umbrian city of Narnia was conquered and saw a Roman colony established in its place.

^ It appears that the colonist forfeited some of their privileges as full Roman citizens in exchange for land in these colonies.

.The imperial mints were under the control of a chief financial minister, and the provincial mints were under the control of the imperial provincial procurators.^ While the Palaeologi, building on the success of Nicaea, reestablished Greek rule, only Epirus of the other successor states came back under Imperial control.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

The Senatorial mints were governed by officials of the Senatorial treasury.

Demography

.In recent years, question relating to ancient demographics have received increasingly more scholarly attention,[71] with estimates of the population size of the Roman empire at its demographic peak now varying between 60-70 million ("low count") and over 100 million ("high count").^ But that is a key point: the Diaspora population is mostly going to be urban; but the urban population of the Roman Empire is unlikely to have been more than 20% of the whole.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The idea common now that the Roman Empire fell in 476, wouldn't have made sense to Bede.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If the population of the Empire was as much as 20% urban, and Jews were 10% of the population, then Jews would have to constitute nearly half of the population of every city, especially including Rome itself (with a population of a million or more people).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[72] .Adhering to the more traditional value of 55 million inhabitants, the Roman Empire constituted the most populous Western political unity until the mid-19th century[73] and had a population comparable to contemporary Han China.^ They would be Roman allies until disappearing in the 11th century.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The office of the Roman Consuls, and dating by them, continues under the Empire until Justinian .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The areas set aside for particular units became the themes , which remained the military bedrock of Romania until the end of the 11th century and soon replaced the old Roman provinces as the administrative divisions of the Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[72][74].

History

Augustus (27 BC–AD 14)

The Battle of Actium, by Lorenzo A. Castro, 1672.
The Battle of Actium resulted in the defeat and subsequent suicides of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. .Octavian, now sole ruler of Rome, began a full-scale reformation of military, fiscal and political matters.^ Octavian sole Ruler of Rome .

^ After the Battle of Actium which resulted in the defeat and subsequent suicides of Mark Antony and Cleopatra , Octavian, now sole ruler of Rome, continued or began a fullscale reformation of military, fiscal and political matters.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ After some political and military developments, Octavian took the province of Africa away from Lepidus and took possession of the Greek-colonized island of Sicilia (modern Sicily).

.The powers that he secured for himself were identical in form, if not in name, to those that his predecessor Julius Caesar had secured years earlier as Roman Dictator.^ The dictator Critolaus, who was fervently anti-Roman, had come to power in the city.

.In 36 BC, he was given the power of a Plebeian Tribune, which gave him veto power over the senate, the ability to control the principle legislative assembly (the Plebeian Council), and made his person and office sacrosanct.^ He used his consular office to block legislation put forward by the tribunes of the people in favour of the plebeians.

^ More so he was granted proconsular powers, something hitherto only given to consuls after their term in office.

^ In 356 BC Rome saw the first plebeian dictator take office.

.Up until 32 BC, his status as a Triumvir gave him the powers of an autocrat, but when he deposed Mark Antony that year, he resigned from the Triumvirate, and was then given powers identical to those that he had given up.^ It would be more than fifteen years, until in 150 BC the remaining 300 of these captives were freed and returned to Greece.

^ In 330 BC a Lucanian assassin stabbed him before he could consolidate his power in Italy.

.In 29 BC, Octavian was given the authority of a Roman Censor, and thus the power to appoint new senators.^ The Roman Empire "officially" begins by tradition in 27 BC when Octavian receives the title "Augustus" -- which then becomes the name by which we know him.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ BC) War against Antiochus Rome no longer had any troops in Greece, yet it was clear that the regional powers of Greece had been allotted their territories according to Roman will.

^ For his naval preparations came to a sudden when news of a powerful Roman fleet sailing into the Adriatic to repel him reached his court.

[75]
.The senate granted Octavian a unique grade of Proconsular imperium, which gave him authority over all Proconsuls (military governors).^ The senate reluctantly gave in, but did not grant Scipio the right of using the normal means of levying consular troops.

^ An imperator was someone with a military command and imperium , which meant both military and civil authority in the area of his command.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[76] .The unruly provinces at the borders, where the vast majority of the legions were stationed, were under the control of Augustus.^ The Roman Army under Augustus contained 28 Legions ( Legio , Legiones ), not counting the Praetorian Guard.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

These provinces were classified as imperial provinces. .The peaceful senatorial provinces were under the control of the Senate.^ The senate under the guidance of Fabius largely took control of matters.

The Roman legions, which had reached an unprecedented number (around 50) because of the civil wars, were reduced to 28.
.Augustus also created nine special cohorts, ostensibly to maintain the peace in Italy, keeping at least three of them stationed at Rome.^ It was always least likely to receive reinforcements and any victories gained would scarce get a mention in Rome, as long as Hannibal was in Italy.

^ No doubt it was the hope of the Carthaginians that Rome might keep the adventurer from Epirus busy in Italy, leaving them free to conquer all of Sicily.

These cohorts became known as the Praetorian Guard. .In 27 BC, Octavian transferred control of the state back to the Senate and the People of Rome.^ The people of Rome granted him a state funeral within the city walls.

^ Instead, once back in Rome, Mancinus was removed from the list of senators.

^ His warnings went unheard until in 172 BC he traveled to Rome himself and presented to the senate his warning of the danger Perseus represented.

[75] The Senate refused the offer, which, in effect, functioned as a popular ratification of his position within the state. Octavian was also granted the title of "Augustus" by the senate,[77] and took the title of Princeps, or "first citizen".[76]
As the adopted heir of Caesar, Augustus preferred to be called by this name. Caesar was a component of his family name. .Julio-Claudian rule lasted for almost a century (from Julius Caesar in the mid-1st century BC to the emperor Nero in the mid-1st century AD).^ There is no evidence of this, Caesar himself had no descendants, and the other heirs were pretty much wiped out by 69 AD (though the movie actually says that the unrelated Tiberius was the last of the ruling Caesars!
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ By 220 BC almost all the Gallic tribes had submitted to Roman rule.

^ This institution continues for some centuries, and there never was a subsequent question that the Emperor might become a King, as had been widely feared, expected, or desired with Julius Caesar.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.By the time of the Flavian Dynasty, and the reign of Vespasian, and that of his two sons, Titus and Domitian, the term Caesar had evolved, almost de facto, from a family name into a formal title.^ The dynasty of Stephan Dushan is followed by two families of princes.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The first Dynasty with a family name will be the Ducases in the 11th century.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Unfortunately, Titus's brother Domitian was not quite of the same stamp, and then went on to reign longer than his father and brother.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Augustus' final goal was to figure out a method to ensure an orderly succession. .In 6 BC Augustus granted tribunician powers to his stepson Tiberius,[78] and before long Augustus realized that he had no choice but to recognize Tiberius as his heir.^ Ricimer may not have really wanted it to succeed, and it wasn't long before he got rid of Anthemius.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The result has the look of a nice balance of power, but there is no telling how long that might have lasted.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ BC) It wasn’t long before Rome posted a consul (Cato the Elder) to Spain with an army to try and quell the unrest.

In AD 13, the point was settled beyond question. .A law was passed which linked Augustus' powers over the provinces to those of Tiberius,[79] so that now Tiberius' legal powers were equivalent to, and independent from, those of Augustus.^ Even if the concilium plebis had gained the right to pass laws, the ordinary citizens had no voice in those meetings.

^ The gentle but powerful influence of laws and manners had gradually cemented the union of the provinces.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[79] Within a year, Augustus was dead.

Tiberius to Alexander Severus (14–235)

The Roman Empire in 117 AD
Augustus was succeeded by his stepson Tiberius, the son of his wife Livia from her first marriage. .Augustus was a scion of the gens Julia (the Julian family), one of the most ancient patrician clans of Rome, while Tiberius was a scion of the gens Claudia, only slightly less ancient than the Julians.^ This ill feeling between Rome and the Aetolian League should have far reaching consequences, which at the time most likely no one could have foreseen.

^ The family of the Julio-Claudians seems like one of the most complicated in history.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Rome now had become one the great powers of the ancient world.

.Their three immediate successors were all descended both from the gens Claudia, through Tiberius's brother Nero Claudius Drusus, and from gens Julia, either through Julia the Elder, Augustus's daughter from his first marriage (Caligula and Nero), or through Augustus's sister Octavia Minor (Claudius).^ Caligula and Nero are descendants of Augustus, through his daughter Julia (from his first marriage); but Claudius and Nero are also descendants of Mark Antony, who of course committed suicide, shortly before Cleopatra, rather than be captured after his defeat by Augustus.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ All of these marriages produced children with living modern descendants, especially among the Hapsburgs and the royal family of Spain, as can be traced at the linked genealogies.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Caligula and Nero, and Robert Graves's version of Claudius, are objects of endless fascination, moralizing, guilty pleasure, and not-so-guilty pleasure.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Historians thus refer to their dynasty as "Julio-Claudian Dynasty".
Vespasian commissioned the Colosseum in Rome.
.The early years of Tiberius's reign were peaceful and relatively benign.^ Gracchus impact on Spain was so significant that the relative peace, established prior to his departure in 177 BC was to last for some 25 years.

However, Tiberius's reign soon became characterised by paranoia and slander. .He began a series of treason trials and executions, which continued until his death in 37. The logical successor to the hated Tiberius was his grandnephew, Gaius (better known as "Caligula" or "little boots").^ The office of the Roman Consuls, the chief executive officers of the Roman Republic , and dating by them, continued under the Empire until Justinian, who now replaces them with dating by Regal years.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The main line of the Palaeologi of Montferrat continued until the death of the Marchioness Margaret in 1556.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The lines of Princes continued, but by 1711 the Sult.ân began to sell the seats to Greek tax farmers, a destructive practice that continued until 1821.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Caligula started out well, but quickly became insane. .In 41 Caligula was assassinated, and for two days following his assassination, the senate debated the merits of restoring the republic.^ There followed two days of skirmishing before the armies met in battle.

[80]
.Due to the demands of the army, however, Claudius was ultimately declared emperor.^ However, Marcus Claudius Marcellus who had been on his way with an army to deal with the troubles in Sicily, was diverted as news reached him of the disaster at Cannae.

.Claudius was neither paranoid like his uncle Tiberius, nor insane like his nephew Caligula, and was therefore able to administer the empire with reasonable ability.^ The entire Army, therefore, was more like 300,000 men, less than half of what it would number in the Late Empire .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.In his own family life he was less successful, as he married his niece, who may very well have poisoned him in 54. Nero, who succeeded Claudius, focused much of his attention on diplomacy, trade, and increasing the cultural capital of the empire.^ A very poor excuse for an "empire," Trebizond spent much of its existence in vassalage to the Mongols and Turks who ruled the plateau behind it.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Old and ill, Heraclius had to watch his life's work largely melt away, while people said it was the Judgment of God because he had married his niece.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The last Western Emperor really worthy of the name was probably Majorian, who was a military man in his own right and operated with success in Gaul and Spain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Nero, though, is remembered as a tyrant, and committed suicide in 68.
.The forced suicide of Nero was followed by a brief period of civil war, known as the "Year of the Four Emperors". Augustus had established a standing army, where individual soldiers served under the same military governors over an extended period of time.^ He had served as a tribune under Marcellus during the war against Carthage.

^ In a brief war the Umbrian city of Narnia was conquered and saw a Roman colony established in its place.

^ The First Slave War It was in the very same year of Scipio’s election to the consulship that his consular colleague, Fulvius Flacchus, was required to intervene in Sicily.

.The consequence was that the soldiers in the provinces developed a degree of loyalty to their commanders, which they did not have for the emperor.^ It took a little time for Septimius to put down all the would-be Emperors in the provinces, but he did so with determination and ferocity.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The units of the Eastern Mobile Army all are commanded by their own Master of Soldiers, with two units as "Soldiers of the Emperor's Presence."
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The nimbus is not used for the Latin Emperors in the genealogy because, as Roman Catholics, they would have acknowledged Papal supremacy to a degree that the Orthodox Emperors in Constantinople never would.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Thus the empire was, in a sense, a union of inchoate principalities, which could have disintegrated at any time.[81] .Between June 68 and December 69, Rome witnessed the successive rise and fall of Galba, Otho and Vitellius until the final accession of Vespasian, first ruler of the Flavian dynasty.^ The success of this coup was a chilling precursor to the eventual Fall of the Western Empire, whose final Emperors became the futile play things of Germanic commanders.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For three years Pyrrhus fought in Sicily, at first with great success, yet finally reaching a stalemate at the impregnable Carthaginian fortress of Lilybaeum.

These events showed that any successful general could legitimately claim a right to the throne.[82]
Vespasian, though a successful emperor, continued the weakening of the Senate which had been going on since the reign of Tiberius. .Through his sound fiscal policy, he was able to build up a surplus in the treasury, and began construction on the Colosseum.^ In Gaul Hasdrubal began recruiting, building up an army in preparation for a second invasion of Italy.

Titus, Vespasian's successor, quickly proved his merit, although his short reign was marked by disaster, including the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii. .He held the opening ceremonies in the still unfinished Colosseum, but died in 81. His brother Domitian succeeded him.^ None of the messengers ever succeeded in reaching Hannibal, leaving him unable to act decisively as he remained clueless as to his brother’s intentions.

^ So powerful was still the name Hannibal, that no general wanted to be measured in open battle with him.

Having exceedingly poor relations with the senate, Domitian was murdered in September of 96.
The next century came to be known as the period of the "Five Good Emperors", in which the successions were peaceful and the Empire was prosperous. Each emperor of this period was adopted by his predecessor. .The last 2 of the "Five Good Emperors" and Commodus are also called Antonines.^ The "Five Good Emperors" (in boldface) became the ideal of generations, all the way to Gibbon, for peaceful and benevolent government.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.After his accession, Nerva, who succeeded Domitian, set a new tone: he restored much confiscated property and involved the Roman Senate in his rule.^ They demanded that the Roman constitution be amended, whereby one of the consuls and a significant proportion of seats in the Roman senate be set aside for Latins.

^ After the restoration of Greek rule in Constantinople, a claim to the Roman throne passed down through the descendants of Baldwin II. Charles of Anjou , who had his own designs on Romania, married a daughter to Baldwin's son Philip.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In Aetolia the Romans granted their support to factions who set about massacring suspected friends of the Macedonian cause.

.In 112, Trajan marched on Armenia and annexed it to the Roman Empire.^ Venice was obviously not claiming 3/8 of the Empire of Trajan, but of the much reduced mediaeval Romania (this looks like part of the conspiracy of ignore the word "Romania" in Roman and "Byzantine" studies).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In any case, Trajan had added upper Mesopotamia, Armenia, and Dacia to the Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Then he turned south into Parthia, taking several cities before declaring Mesopotamia a new province of the empire, and lamenting that he was too old to follow in the steps of Alexander the Great.^ Alliances with several Umbrian cities were entered into.

^ Thomas never took the obvious step of declaring himself the new Emperor in succession to his brother, and he turned over Monembasia to the Pope in 1461.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Other related peoples, the Patzinaks and Cumans, followed the Bulgars off the steppe and into the Balkans, though not permanently south of the Danube.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.During his rule, the Roman Empire expanded to its largest extent, and would never again advance so far to the east.^ They would soon become a loose cannon within the Empire, shattering essential supports of Roman power as the tribe rolled around.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Trajan was the first Emperor born in the provinces (Spain) and briefly, with his Mesopotamian campaign, expanded the Empire to its greatest extent.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Hadrian's reign was marked by a general lack of major military conflicts, but he had to defend the vast territories that Trajan had acquired.^ The Pax Romana seems real enough in certain places, but there were not many reigns without some major military action.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Antoninus Pius's reign was comparatively peaceful.^ Antoninus Pius became the only Roman Emperor in 1500 years to be called "the Pious," but we really know precious little about his reign.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Of particular interest in the disposition of the Legions in the reign of Antoninus Pius is Legio VI Victrix .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.During the reign of Marcus Aurelius, Germanic tribes launched many raids along the northern border.^ Gradually, the Limitanei fade from historical view and hardly seem to exist at all by the time German tribes cross the borders en masse in the Fifth Century.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In the reign of Marcus Aurelius the Prefect of Legio VI Victrix will be one Lucius Artorius Castus.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The period of the "Five Good Emperors" also commonly described as the Pax Romana, or "Roman Peace" was brought to an end by the reign of Commodus.^ The "Five Good Emperors" (in boldface) became the ideal of generations, all the way to Gibbon, for peaceful and benevolent government.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This may simply illustrate the principle that goodness and peace (the height of the "Pax Romana") is boring.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Pax Romana seems real enough in certain places, but there were not many reigns without some major military action.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Commodus was the son of Marcus Aurelius, breaking the scheme of adoptive successors that had turned out so well.^ As it turned out, things went too well.

^ Nicephorus ended up killed in battle against the Bulgars , and his son Stauracius, proclaimed Emperor, turned out to be paralyzed from a spinal wound.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Marcus's only real failure was to leave the Empire to his worthless son, Commodus -- dying in a place of modern note, Vienna ( Vindobona ).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Commodus became paranoid and slipped into insanity before being murdered in 192.
The Severan Dynasty, which lasted from 193 until 235, included several increasingly troubled reigns. .A generally successful ruler, Septimius Severus, the first of the dynasty, cultivated the army's support and substituted equestrian officers for senators in key administrative positions.^ Caligula, "little boot," or Caracalla, "little hood" -- both names given them as children in the army camps of their fathers (Germanicus and Septimius Severus, respectively).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.His son, Caracalla, extended full Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants of the empire.^ Roman Citizenship to all free persons, 212 .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The inhabitants of these old, settled areas held full Roman citizenship.

^ The Pope thus became, as Popes had long desired, the ruler of all the Roman Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Increasingly unstable and autocratic, Caracalla was assassinated by Macrinus, who succeeded him, before being assassinated and succeeded by Elagabalus. Alexander Severus, the last of the dynasty, was increasing unable to control the army, and was assassinated in 235.

Crisis of the Third Century and the later emperors (235–395)

.The Crisis of the Third Century is a commonly applied name for the crumbling and near collapse of the Roman Empire between 235 and 284. During this time, 25 emperors reigned, and the empire experienced extreme military, political, and economic crises.^ Emperors are commonly known by particular parts of their names, or by nicknames, e.g.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The areas set aside for particular units became the themes , which remained the military bedrock of Romania until the end of the 11th century and soon replaced the old Roman provinces as the administrative divisions of the Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Additionally, in 251, the Plague of Cyprian broke out, causing large-scale mortality which may have seriously affected the ability of the Empire to defend itself.^ Whatever the cause, the climate would adversely impact the population at a time, on top of the deaths from the Plague, when the lack would gravely affect the fate of the Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[83] .This period ended with the accession of Diocletian, who reigned from 284 until 305, and who solved many of the acute problems experienced during this crisis.^ This was during the reign of Irene, who had taken the throne exclusively for herself, the only Empress ever to do so, by having her son Constantine VI blinded (he died, too).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Valerian's relatively long reign ended with the unparalleled ignominy of being captured by Shapur I -- the only Roman Emperor captured by an enemy until Romanus IV in 1071.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This finally ended with Diocletian, who picked up reforming the Empire, militarily, politically, and religiously, where Aurelian had left off.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.However, the core problems would remain and cause the eventual destruction of the western empire.^ However, the core problems would remain and cause the eventual destruction of the western empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The two remaining Augusti divided the Empire again in the pattern established by Diocletian: Constantine becoming Augustus of the Western Roman Empire and Licinius Augustus of the Eastern Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Gibbon wrote a truly monumental account of the story of the Empire, but he doesn't really propose us a "theory" of the causes of the fall, as most historians would do, later on.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.Diocletian saw the vast empire as ungovernable, and therefore split the empire in half and created two equal emperors to rule under the title of Augustus.^ The entire Army, therefore, was more like 300,000 men, less than half of what it would number in the Late Empire .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As the first Emperor with a very clearly Greek name ( Dioclês , before being Latinized to Diocletianus ), Diocletian foreshadows the later Greek character of the Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So, while we think of "Augustus" as the name of the first Emperor, it was simply a title, whose import was well remembered by subsequent Emperors.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.In doing so, he effectively created what would become the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire.^ They would soon become a loose cannon within the Empire, shattering essential supports of Roman power as the tribe rolled around.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ These are the commanders-in-chief of the Western Army (distiguished by purple color), with the Master of Soldiers becoming the effective "Generalissimo" of the Western Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ That was dangerous, indeed fatal, for the Republic; but in those terms Julius Caesar began the creation of the Roman Empire already as an "emperor."
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.In 293 authority was further divided, as each Augustus took a junior Emperor called a Caesar to provide a line of succession.^ Thomas never took the obvious step of declaring himself the new Emperor in succession to his brother, and he turned over Monembasia to the Pope in 1461.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

This constituted what is now known as the Tetrarchy ("rule of four"). .The transitions of this period mark the beginnings of Late Antiquity.^ The cultural and intellectual sea change of the period, soon followed by Diocletian's reforms and then Constantine, usher in the distinctive world of Late Antiquity .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Tetrarchy would effectively collapse with the death of Constantius Chlorus, the first of the Constantinian dynasty, in 306. Constantius's troops immediately proclaimed his son Constantine the Great as Augustus.^ Septimius Severus himself was one of the two Roman Emperors ( Constantius Chlorus was the other) to die (a natural death) at York (Eboracum) in Britain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ By 308, with Severus killed by Maximian's son Maxentius and Constantine proclaimed Augustus by his troops, Diocletian was called to a conference at Carnuntum on the Danube in Upper (Superior) Pannonia (just down the river from modern Vienna, Roman Vindobona).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.A series of civil wars broke, which ended with the entire empire being united under Constantine, who legalised Christianity definitively in 313 through the Edict of Milan.^ The Gauls were commanded by a Carthaginian called Hamilcar, who was still at large after the end of the Second Punic War.

^ A story arose that Constantine sleeps under the Golden Gate (like Barbarossa under the Kyffhäuser), or that he would reenter the City through that Gate.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Al-Harith II himself, with the epithet "ibn Maria" and living in the time of Constantine, is likely to be the tribal chief who converted to Christianity.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.In 361, after decades of further civil war, Julian became emperor.^ Unfortunately, the Mobile Army as often was used for civil wars as for backing up the frontiers, and it was natural for Emperors to neglect the Limitanei and reinforce their own personal forces.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.His edict of toleration in 362 ordered the reopening of pagan temples, and, more problematically for the Christian Church, the recalling of previously exiled Christian bishops.^ Since this is more or less the Christian critique of pagan society, we have the curious case of critics maintaining the perspective of Christian moralism even while rejecting Christianity as the appropriate response.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Julian eventually resumed the war against Shapur II of Persia, although he received a mortal wound in battle and died in 363. His officers then elected Jovian emperor.^ But King Philip V, having not received one scrap of support from Syria in his recent war against Rome, now had no intention of lending support to Antiochus.

^ Rome wars against King Antiochus II of Seleucia 191 Antiochus defeated at Thermopylae.

^ Aftermath of War against Antiochus What is astonishing is that Rome had managed achieve dominance of the Greek world in only two major battles; Cynoscephalae and Magnesia.

Jovian is remembered for ceding terrorities won from the Persians, dating back to Trajan, and for restoring the privileges of Christianity, before dying in 364.
The Tetrarchs, a porphyry sculpture sacked from a Byzantine palace in 1204, Treasury of St Mark's, Venice
.Upon Jovian's death, Valentinian I, the first of the Valentinian dynasty, was elected Augustus, and chose his brother Valens to serve as his co-emperor.^ With Valentinian, and his brother Valens with whom he divided the Empire, the Christian nature of Romania was sealed.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ When Valentinian died, Gratian had already been raised to the status of Augustus and clearly was the legitimate Emperor of the West.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

In 365, Procopius managed to bribe two legions, who then proclaimed him Augustus. .War between the two rival Eastern Roman Emperors continued until Procopius was defeated, although in 367, eight-year-old Gratian was proclaimed emperor by the other two.^ Yet nothing more ever came of it other than two skirmishes between the two sides.

^ This small town, whose military garrison never exceeded 8,000, was to go down in history for resisting continuous Roman attacks for nine years.

^ The office of the Roman Consuls, and dating by them, continues under the Empire until Justinian .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.In 375 Valentinian I led his army in a campaign against a Germanic tribe, but died shortly thereafter.^ There is no doubt that this was needed for the challenges of the Age -- indeed, it would prove inadequate to concentrate what would in fact be needed against the Visigoths and the other migrating German tribes.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The allied Latin forces, led by Aristhodemus, met at Aricia with an army which Porsenna had sent against them under the command of his son Arruns.

^ That he died shortly thereafter steals the thunder from this act, but it is noteworthy.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Succession did not go as planned. .Gratian was then a 16-year-old and arguably ready to act as Emperor, but the troops proclaimed his infant half-brother emperor under the title Valentinian II, and Gratian acquiesced.^ When Valentinian died, Gratian had already been raised to the status of Augustus and clearly was the legitimate Emperor of the West.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ B. REVIVAL AND ASCENDENCY, 802-1059, 257 years 400 years after the opportunity might have originally presented itself, a German finally claimed the title of Roman Emperor.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Under the Palaeologi, starting in 1383, the Despot (sometimes more than one) was usually a son or brother of the Emperor.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Meanwhile, the Eastern Roman Empire faced its own problems with Germanic tribes.^ The Holy Roman Empire hands down its own traditions through the surviving families, and it has never suffered a conquest by any foreign power.

^ The mysterious invaders proved to be two Germanic tribes, the Teutons and Cimbri, the vanguard of that great German migration which was destined to change the face and history of Europe.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Germans Sarmatians, Arabs, Armenians, Persians, Moors; all were not subjects of the empire and now stood to the Roman army in the same relation as once the auxiliaries had done.

.One tribe fled their former lands and sought refuge in the Eastern Roman Empire.^ They would soon become a loose cannon within the Empire, shattering essential supports of Roman power as the tribe rolled around.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Knowing their case futile, the Carthaginians took on the might of the Roman empire one last time.

^ One was that the Goths remained a unified and aggressive tribe within the Empire, ready to begin rampaging again at any time.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Valens let them settle on the southern bank of the Danube in 376, but they soon revolted against their Roman hosts.^ They would soon become a loose cannon within the Empire, shattering essential supports of Roman power as the tribe rolled around.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Romans suffered several reverses as they sought to fight in unfamiliar terrain against a truly fearsome enemy.

^ The first war against Macedon had introduced Roman interest yet further into Greece than they had been after the Illyrian wars.

.Valens personally led a campaign against them in 378. However this campaign proved disastrous for the Romans.^ Regulus however successfully harangued the Roman senators to continue the fight against her enemy at all cost.

^ Hamilcar was leading an effective defensive campaign against superior Roman forces.

^ BC proved a year of indecisive campaigns which led to no tangible advances.

.The two armies approached each other near Adrianople, but Valens was apparently overconfident of the numerical superiority of his own forces over the enemy.^ Unfortunately, the Mobile Army as often was used for civil wars as for backing up the frontiers, and it was natural for Emperors to neglect the Limitanei and reinforce their own personal forces.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ However, King Antiochus was well aware of the disparity in quality of the two armies facing each other.

^ He found himself held in check by two armies, a Punic force commanded by Hasdrubal, son of Gisco, and a Numidian force, commanded by their King Syphax.

.Valens, eager to have all of the glory for himself, rushed into battle, and on 9 August 378, the Battle of Adrianople resulted in a crushing defeat for the Romans, and the death of Valens.^ King Antiochus himself led a cavalry charge which threw the Roman left into disarray.

^ The resulting battle was close and hard fought but turned into a catastrophic rout, with Valens himself falling.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The defeat the Spaniards suffered when lured into an ambush was to have been a crushing one.

.Contemporary historian Ammianus Marcellinus estimated that two thirds of the Roman army were lost in the battle.^ At the Battle of Callinicus, which took place some 3 miles from Larissa ( Larisa ), the entire Roman consular force was put to rout by the army of Perseus.

^ Battle of the Zama The two armies commanded by the two greatest commanders of the age met at Zama.

^ In two battles Rome had lost over 30,000 men.

.The battle had far-reaching consequences, as veteran soldiers and valuable administrators were among the heavy casualties, which left the Empire with the problem of finding suitable leadership.^ This ill feeling between Rome and the Aetolian League should have far reaching consequences, which at the time most likely no one could have foreseen.

.Gratian was now effectively responsible for the whole of the Empire.^ Now in the place of Valens, his uncle, the Emperor Gratian established Theodosius the Spaniard in the Eastern Empire.
  • JORDANES DESCRIBES THE GOTHS' ENTRY AND WANDERINGS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.He sought however a replacement Augustus for the Eastern Roman Empire, and in 379 choose Theodosius I.^ The office of the Roman Consuls, the chief executive officers of the Roman Republic , and dating by them, continued under the Empire until Justinian, who now replaces them with dating by Regal years.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Roman Empire "officially" begins by tradition in 27 BC when Octavian receives the title "Augustus" -- which then becomes the name by which we know him.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Yet in 610 the character and problems of the Roman Empire would not have been unfamiliar to Theodosius the Great.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Theodosius, the founder of the Theodosian dynasty, proclaimed his five year old son Arcadius an Augustus in 383 in an attempt to secure succession.^ Another was that Honorius and Arcadius, the two sons between whom Theodosius divided the Empire, were young and inexperienced.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The chaos that had threatened in some earlier successions (in 69 and 193) now arrived in 238, when we can say that there were five Emperors in one year.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Roman gamble of sending a twenty five year old aggrieved son, who had never ascended higher than the office of aedile in politics, to command the Spanish legions had paid off.

.Hispanic Celt general Magnus Maximus, stationed in Roman Britain, was proclaimed Augustus by his troops in 383 and rebelled against Gratian when he invaded Gaul.^ In all of 149 and 148 BC the Roman troops made little progress against a city which had only recently surrendered them all its armaments.

^ Later in 407, the usurper Constantine took his troops out of Britain, simultaneously to secure Gaul and to establish himself as Emperor.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ After Roman Britain disappeared from history, when the usurper Constantine "III" took his troops to Gaul, Bede's History of the English Church and People is just about the first that we then hear of it, three hundred years later.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Gratian fled, but was assassinated. .Following Gratian's death, Maximus had to deal with Valentinian II, at the time only twelve years old, as the senior Augustus.^ The Eastern Emperor Valens acknowledged him with the provision that Valentinian's sixteen year old son Gratian serve in that capacity until Valentinian II was somewhat older.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Though by the time of Augustus, after the lengthy civil wars which had seen huge numbers of men at arms, the length of service had fallen back to between 6 and 10 years again.

^ He wrote a long work of fifteen books criticizing the Christians; but it was ordered burned by Emperors Valentinian III and Theodosius II in 448, and only fragments remain.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

Maximus soon entered negotiations with Valentinian II and Theodosius, attempting to gain their official recognition, although Negotiations were unfruitful. .Theodosius campaigned west in 388 and was victorious against Maximus, who was then captured and executed.^ This was the same Marcellus who had already achieved the spolia opima when campaigning against the Gauls.

In 392 Valentinian II was murdered, and shortly thereafter Arbogast arranged for the appointment of Eugenius as emperor.
However, the eastern emperor Theodosius I refused to recognise Eugenius as emperor and invaded the West, defeating and killing Arbogast and Eugenius. .He thus reunited the entire Roman Empire under his rule.^ The office of the Roman Consuls, and dating by them, continues under the Empire until Justinian .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Tripolitania apparently also came under Roman rule, but was kept separate from the African province.

.Theodosius was the last Emperor who ruled over the whole Empire.^ [Sozomen VII, xxix] The Catholic Encyclopedia says: "Theodosius stands out as the destroyer of heresy and paganism, as the last sovereign of the undivided empire."
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ A very poor excuse for an "empire," Trebizond spent much of its existence in vassalage to the Mongols and Turks who ruled the plateau behind it.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The conquest of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade did not result in the establishment of the authority of the Latin Emperors over the whole of the previous Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.As emperor, he made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.^ The Qaghan Boris took the Christian name Michael (though both names would be used in the future), but retained a status comparable to the Roman Emperor.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The idea common now that the Roman Empire fell in 476, wouldn't have made sense to Bede.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He knows that the Empire is now centered in Christian Constantinople, and his awareness of this is strong enough that it actually erases the existence of the last Western Emperors.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.After his death in 395, he gave the two halves of the Empire to his two sons Arcadius and Honorius.^ Another was that Honorius and Arcadius, the two sons between whom Theodosius divided the Empire, were young and inexperienced.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Roman state would continue to have two different emperors with different seats of power throughout the 5th century, though the Eastern Romans considered themselves Roman in full.^ They would be Roman allies until disappearing in the 11th century.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They would soon become a loose cannon within the Empire, shattering essential supports of Roman power as the tribe rolled around.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Of all the blows the Roman power, the latter would prove to be one of the worst.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The two halves were nominally, culturally and historically, if not politically, the same state.^ Curious how the attitude stays the same despite the changes in culture, faith, politics, etc.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Well, the first two hundred years of Roman history do make a pretty compact cultural and historical unit.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Decline of the Western Roman Empire (395–476)

Barbarian invasions of the Roman Empire (simplified), showing the Battle of Adrianople.
.After 395, the emperors in the Western Roman Empire were usually figureheads, while the actual rulers were military strongmen.^ The last Western Emperor really worthy of the name was probably Majorian, who was a military man in his own right and operated with success in Gaul and Spain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ A last chance to recoup things for the whole Empire came in 468, after Leo had gotten Ricimer to accept the Theodosian relative Anthemius as Western Emperor.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Thus, the unity of the Eastern Army was focused more directly on the Emperor himself, which may have helped the Eastern Empire avoid the situation in the West where the Emperors became mere figureheads.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The year 476 is generally accepted as the formal end of the Western Roman Empire.^ A last chance to recoup things for the whole Empire came in 468, after Leo had gotten Ricimer to accept the Theodosian relative Anthemius as Western Emperor.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ B. CRISIS OF THE FIFTH CENTURY, 379-476, 97 Years The map shows the key incursions that would fatally undermine the Western Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As the final end of the Roman Empire, it was a much more revolutionary and catastrophic change than the "fall" of the Western Empire in 476, in which power remained in the same hands of the current magister militum .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

That year, Orestes refused the request of Germanic mercenaries in his service for lands in Italy. .The dissatisfied mercenaries, led by Odoacer, revolted, and deposed the last western emperor, Romulus Augustus.^ LAST WESTERN EMPERORS [names in brackets not recognized by East] .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The last Western Emperor really worthy of the name was probably Majorian, who was a military man in his own right and operated with success in Gaul and Spain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So in 476, Orestes and his son were then deposed by the German Odoacer (who originally had been in the guard of Anthemius), who decided to do without a figurehead Emperor.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.This event has traditionally been considered the fall of the Western Roman Empire.^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The success of this coup was a chilling precursor to the eventual Fall of the Western Empire, whose final Emperors became the futile play things of Germanic commanders.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As the final end of the Roman Empire, it was a much more revolutionary and catastrophic change than the "fall" of the Western Empire in 476, in which power remained in the same hands of the current magister militum .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Odoacer quickly conquered the remaining provinces of Italy, and then sent the Imperial Regalia back to the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno.^ For when the Samnite general was presented with the two Romans he simply rejected any idea of punishing them and sent them back to Rome as free men.

^ Only Odoacer in Italy vaguely acknowledged the Emperor's suzerainty -- we don't know what allegiance to Constantinople, if any, remained in the Roman pocket in northern Gaul.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ When the Turks had manifestly broken through and the Fall of the City imminent, the Emperor reportedly threw off the Imperial Regalia and disappeared into the thick of the fight.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Zeno soon received two deputations. .One was from Odoacer, requesting that his control of Italy be formally recognised by the Empire, in which case he would acknowledge Zeno's supremacy.^ Knowing their case futile, the Carthaginians took on the might of the Roman empire one last time.

^ Only Odoacer in Italy vaguely acknowledged the Emperor's suzerainty -- we don't know what allegiance to Constantinople, if any, remained in the Roman pocket in northern Gaul.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The nimbus is not used for the Latin Emperors in the genealogy because, as Roman Catholics, they would have acknowledged Papal supremacy to a degree that the Orthodox Emperors in Constantinople never would.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The other deputation was from Nepos, the emperor before Romulus Augustus, asking for support to regain the throne.^ He didn't even recognize the Emperor who "fell," Romulus Augustulus, as a successor of Augustus (neither did the East, for that matter).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This problem reached a head when, rather than working together to get things organized again, Nepos was chased out to Dalmatia by Orestes, who assumed command and then put his own son, a child -- Romulus the "little Augustus" -- on the throne.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Zeno granted Odoacer's request. Upon Nepos's death in 480, Zeno claimed Dalmatia for the East. .Odoacer attacked Dalmatia, and the ensuing war ended with Theodoric the Great, King of the Ostrogoths, conquering Italy.^ King Prusias in turn had great use for a man of Hannibal’s talents, as in 186 BC he engaged in a war with Pergamum.

^ Odoacer in fact was eventually deposed (from Ravenna, of course) by Goths, the Ostrogoths under Theodoric.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ By 493 Theodoric the Ostrogoth, invited by the Emperor Anastasius, had taken out Odoacer in Italy.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Empire became gradually less Romanised and increasingly Germanic in nature: although the Empire buckled under Visigothic assault, the overthrow of the last Emperor Romulus Augustus was carried out by federated Germanic troops from within the Roman army rather than by foreign troops.^ It is then natural that Classicists, to whom the Romans were the last people who proudly weren't Christians, would prefer the hostile modern neologism "Byzantine" for the continuing Empire, rather than pollute the memory of Augustus and Trajan with that of Justinian, Heraclius, or Basil II. Yet even Justinian was still speaking Latin -- and what Classicist will dare, and I dare them, to fault the others for speaking Greek?
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Indeed, the Romans were rather more successful than is usually thought.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Carthage responded to Roman successes by landing an army of no less than 50,000 men in Sicily under the command of a general called Hannibal (it was a fairly common Punic name), establishing its headquarters at the fortress of Acragas (later called Agrigentum), the second city after Syracuse on the island of Sicily.

.In this sense had Odoacer not renounced the title of Emperor and named himself "King of Italy" instead, the Empire might have continued in name.^ As the first Emperor with a very clearly Greek name ( Dioclês , before being Latinized to Diocletianus ), Diocletian foreshadows the later Greek character of the Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So, while we think of "Augustus" as the name of the first Emperor, it was simply a title, whose import was well remembered by subsequent Emperors.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Only Odoacer in Italy vaguely acknowledged the Emperor's suzerainty -- we don't know what allegiance to Constantinople, if any, remained in the Roman pocket in northern Gaul.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Its identity, however, was no longer Roman—it was increasingly populated and governed by Germanic peoples long before 476.
.The Roman people were by the fifth century "bereft of their military ethos"[84] and the Roman army itself a mere supplement to federated troops of Goths, Huns, Franks and others fighting on their behalf.^ The fighting was not merely restricted to Liguria itself.

^ The talented Coriolanus soon defeated the Roman army, driving them before him, until he and his Volscian army besieged Rome itself.

^ Meanwhile the Roman army on land gradually edged Carthaginian forces out of the centre of the isle of Sicily in hard, increasingly bitter fighting.

Many theories have been advanced in explanation of the decline of the Roman Empire, and many dates given for its fall, from the onset of its decline in the third century[85] to the fall of Constantinople in 1453.[86]
.Militarily, however, the Empire finally fell after first being overrun by various non-Roman peoples and then having its heart in Italy seized by Germanic troops in a revolt.^ The German troops wanted to be settled on the land in Italy, which Orestes resisted.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The success of this coup was a chilling precursor to the eventual Fall of the Western Empire, whose final Emperors became the futile play things of Germanic commanders.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Romans having gained the tactical advantage the battle soon turned to butchery as the Carthaginian troops were encircled and slaughtered.

The historicity and exact dates are uncertain, and some historians do not consider that the Empire fell at this point. .Disagreement persists since the decline of the Empire had been a long and gradual process rather than a single event.^ Yet it soon crumbled, having been held together largely by Dionysius’ personal genius, rather than being a coherent empire.

Eastern Roman Empire (476–1453)

.As the Western Roman Empire declined during the 5th century, the richer Eastern Roman Empire would be relieved of much destruction, and in the mid 6th century the Eastern Roman Empire (generally today called the Byzantine Empire) under the emperor Justinian I reconquered Italy and parts of Illyria from the Ostrogoths, North Africa from the Vandals, and southern Hispania from the Visigoths.^ Still the capital of Italy under the Ostrogoths, Ravenna becomes a Roman capital again, not of a Western Empire, but just for the Exarchate.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They would be Roman allies until disappearing in the 11th century.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They would soon become a loose cannon within the Empire, shattering essential supports of Roman power as the tribe rolled around.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The reconquest of southern Hispania was somewhat ephemeral, but North Africa served the Byzantines for another century, parts of Italy for another five centuries, and parts of Illyria even longer.^ Yet could Rome another test of strength against Pyrrhus now that he enjoyed the alliance of all of southern Italy?

^ Perhaps he was just a bitter old man, who saw the rich produce from the fertile fields of North Africa as a threat to the farmers of Italy.

.Of the many accepted dates for the end of the classical Roman state, the latest is 610. This is when the Emperor Heraclius made sweeping reforms, forever changing the face of the empire.^ The office of the Roman Consuls, and dating by them, continues under the Empire until Justinian .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It was a classic example of the motto: ‘divide and conquer.’ This left the Latins to face the Roman-Samnite war machine with only the Volscians as allies.

^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Greek was readopted as the language of government and Latin influence waned.^ Diocletian's Empire had Latin as its court language, but it was no longer based in Rome or governed or defended by natives of Latium.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Posted by mharrsch at 9:25 AM Labels: bilingual , Cicero , education , Greek , language , Latin , Roman Empire , slavery , Tarentum .

^ Gygax also noted that "Pictor was influenced by Greek historiographic models and may have felt that Greek was the most adequate language for writing history in prose."

.By 610, the Eastern Roman Empire had come under definite Greek influence, and could be considered to have become what many modern historians now call the Byzantine Empire.^ Eagles were used by many to imply Roman antecedents, but the double headed eagle was adopted in particular by the Holy Roman Empire , by Imperial Russia , and by the Serbs .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They would soon become a loose cannon within the Empire, shattering essential supports of Roman power as the tribe rolled around.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The office of the Roman Consuls, and dating by them, continues under the Empire until Justinian .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.However, the Empire was never called thus by its inhabitants, who used terms such as Romania, Basileia Romaion or Pragmata Romaion, meaning "Land of the Romans" or "Kingdom of the Romans", and who still saw themselves as Romans, and their state as the rightful continuation of the ancient empire of Rome.^ Eagles were used by many to imply Roman antecedents, but the double headed eagle was adopted in particular by the Holy Roman Empire , by Imperial Russia , and by the Serbs .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Rome and Romania is continued in The Ottoman Sultans, 1290-1924 AD , Successors of Rome: Germania, 395-774 , Successors of Rome: Francia, 447-present , Successors of Rome: The Periphery of Francia , and Successors of Rome: Russia, 862-present .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The office of the Roman Consuls, and dating by them, continues under the Empire until Justinian .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The sack of Constantinople at the hands of the Fourth Crusade in 1204 is sometimes used to date the end of Eastern Roman Empire: the destruction of Constantinople and most of its ancient treasures, total discontinuity of leadership, and the division of its lands into rival states with a Catholic-controlled "Emperor" in Constantinople itself was a blow from which the Empire never fully recovered.^ The city’s lands were impounded by the Roman state.

^ Most symbolically, the breach between the Eastern and Western Churches in 1054 was the one that became permanent and henceforth separated the One Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church into the Pope's Latin Church , usually called "Roman Catholic," and the Patriarch of Constantinople's Greek Church , traditionally called "Greek Orthodox" -- along with the other autocephalous "Orthodox" Churches (Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Romanian, etc.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The nimbus is not used for the Latin Emperors in the genealogy because, as Roman Catholics, they would have acknowledged Papal supremacy to a degree that the Orthodox Emperors in Constantinople never would.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Nevertheless, the Byzantines recovered Constantinople itself and reestablished the empire in 1261, and continued to call themselves Romans until their fall to Ottoman Turks in 1453. That year the eastern part of the Roman Empire was ultimately ended by the Fall of Constantinople.^ This small town, whose military garrison never exceeded 8,000, was to go down in history for resisting continuous Roman attacks for nine years.

^ The office of the Roman Consuls, and dating by them, continues under the Empire until Justinian .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Decius and Herennius were killed in battle by the Goths in 251 -- the only Roman Emperors to die in battle (against external enemies) besides Julian (against the Persians, 363), Valens (against the Goths again, 378), Nicephorus I (against the Bulgars, 811), and Constantine XI (with the fall of Constantinople to the Turks, 1453).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Even though Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople, declared himself the Emperor of the Roman Empire (Caesar of Rome / Kayser-i Rum), and even though this capture was in some ways far less catastrophic than the sack, Constantine XI is usually considered the last Roman Emperor.^ Indeed, the Romans were rather more successful than is usually thought.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The raid by the Roman legions was horrific and no less than 150,000 Epirots were carried away into slavery and sold.

^ If it is impossible that the percentage of Jews in Rome could be lower than in the Empire as a whole, that gives us a good ground for evaluating the percentage given by Paul Johnson.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Greek ethnic self-descriptive name "Rhomios" (Roman) survives to this day.^ In the early days of the dynasty we get a benchmark on the survival of Classical and later Greek literature.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I use Roman names for the planets in the sky, which also get applied to the days of the week .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Military history

Principate (27 BC–AD 235)

.Between the reigns of the emperors Augustus and Trajan, the Roman Empire achieved great territorial gains in both the East and the West.^ Trajan was the first Emperor born in the provinces (Spain) and briefly, with his Mesopotamian campaign, expanded the Empire to its greatest extent.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He didn't even recognize the Emperor who "fell," Romulus Augustulus, as a successor of Augustus (neither did the East, for that matter).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ When Valentinian died, Gratian had already been raised to the status of Augustus and clearly was the legitimate Emperor of the West.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.In the West, following several defeats in 16 BC,[87] Roman armies pushed north and east out of Gaul to subdue much of Germania.^ To the west Gnaeus and Publius Scipio were keeping the Carthaginian armies tied up in knots, making it impossible for them to follow across the Alps and reinforce the invasion.

^ In 284 BC an army of Etruscans and Gauls from the Senones tribe laid siege to Arretium.

^ Meanwhile the Roman army on land gradually edged Carthaginian forces out of the centre of the isle of Sicily in hard, increasingly bitter fighting.

Despite the loss of a large army almost to the man in Varus' famous defeat in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9,[88][89][90]
Rome recovered and continued its expansion up to and beyond the borders of the known world. .The Romans invaded Britain in AD 43,[91] forcing their way inland,[92] and building two military bases to protect against rebellion and incursions from the north, from which Roman troops built and manned Hadrian's Wall.^ On the other hand, the man leading the Latin league against the Romans was Octavius Mamilius, the son-in-law of King Tarquin.

^ There were, moreover, Latin cities which even allied with the Gauls against her, thereby forcing the rest of the Latins, however reluctantly, to throw themselves under the protection of Rome.

^ A. THE ADVENT OF THE TURKS, 1059-1185, 126 years 1060 AD -- Romanian territory is intact, but the military and financial foundations of Roman power have been undermined.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[93]
.Emperor Claudius ordered the suspension of further attacks across the Rhine,[94] setting what was to become the permanent limit of the Empire's expansion in this direction.^ We might think that the Empire, Imperium , begins with Augustus becoming Emperor , Imperator , but that is not the case.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[95] Further east, Trajan turned his attention to Dacia.[96][97][98] .Following an uncertain number of battles, Trajan marched into Dacia,[99] besieged the Dacian capital and razed it to the ground.^ He eventually marched his newly trained rag tag army of raw levies and mercenaries out into the open plain of Bagradas (Medjerda) where he offered battle.

^ The Battle of Cynoscephalae King Philip sought to achieve a decision and marched his army, 25,000 strong, into Thessaly.

[100] .With Dacia quelled, Trajan subsequently invaded the Parthian empire to the east, his conquests taking the Roman Empire to its greatest extent.^ Trajan was the first Emperor born in the provinces (Spain) and briefly, with his Mesopotamian campaign, expanded the Empire to its greatest extent.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It is important to keep in mind Rome’s preeminence in the region, established after the Second Macedonian War and the War against Antiochus, when viewing the later eastern wars and subsequent conquest of the east.

^ Venice was obviously not claiming 3/8 of the Empire of Trajan, but of the much reduced mediaeval Romania (this looks like part of the conspiracy of ignore the word "Romania" in Roman and "Byzantine" studies).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

In AD 69, Marcus Salvius Otho had the Emperor Galba murdered[101][102] and claimed the throne for himself,[103][104] but Vitellius had also claimed the throne.[105][106] .Otho left Rome, and met Vitellius at the First Battle of Bedriacum,[107] after which the Othonian troops fled back to their camp,[108] and the next day surrendered to the Vitellian forces.^ The following day their armies met in battle.

^ If they would see Rome through the next five years unharmed, then Rome would offer the first born of all her flocks and herds on a date set by the senate.

^ They met him at the Battle of Cirta ( Constantine, Algeria ), where he force was driven off the field.

[109] .Meanwhile, the forces stationed in the Middle East provinces of Judaea and Syria had acclaimed Vespasian as emperor.^ One Legion from the campaign, Legio X Fretensis , remains in Judaea, while the other two that were given to Vespasian at the beginning of the campaign, Legio V Macedonica and Legio XV Apollinaris , have returned to the stations on the Danube.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[107] .Vespasians' and Vitellius' armies met in the Second Battle of Bedriacum,[107][110] after which the Vitellian troops were driven back into their camp.^ The following day their armies met in battle.

^ He eventually marched his newly trained rag tag army of raw levies and mercenaries out into the open plain of Bagradas (Medjerda) where he offered battle.

^ The city itself has seen its army defeated and driven behind its walls, with the Samnites not camped out on Mount Tifata just outside the city.

[111] .Vespasian, having successfully ended the civil war, was declared emperor.^ Unfortunately, the Mobile Army as often was used for civil wars as for backing up the frontiers, and it was natural for Emperors to neglect the Limitanei and reinforce their own personal forces.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The First Jewish-Roman War, sometimes called The Great Revolt, was the first of three major rebellions by the Jews of Judaea Province against the Roman Empire.^ Trajan was the first Emperor born in the provinces (Spain) and briefly, with his Mesopotamian campaign, expanded the Empire to its greatest extent.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Rising in Spain However the very year in which the Roman provinces were established, 197 BC, and denuded of troops war broke out as the tribe of the Turdenati rose in revolt.

^ One major effect the wars had had on Roman society was to reduce the number of patricians significantly.

[112] .Earlier Jewish successes against Rome only attracted greater attention from Emperor Nero, who appointed general Vespasian to crush the rebellion.^ The last Western Emperor really worthy of the name was probably Majorian, who was a military man in his own right and operated with success in Gaul and Spain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In 298 BC the Lucanians in the south of Italy approached Rome for help against the Samnites who were invading their territory.

^ But Hannibal was now descending into northern Italy, a territory only recently won by Rome in crushing and oppressive military campaigns against local Gallic tribes.

.By the year 68, Jewish resistance in the northern region, the Galilee, had been crushed [113][114] and in the year 70, Jerusalem was captured and the Second Temple destroyed.^ When Jerusalem fell to Titus in 70 AD, the Temple and most of the city were demolished.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Jewish Revolt & War, 66-73: Destruction of Jerusalem, 70 AD; Fall of Masada, 73; Revolt of Bar Kokhba, 132-135 .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Jewish Revolt & War, 66-73; revolt of Civilis, four legions disbanded, 69-70; Destruction of Jerusalem, 70; Fall of Masada, 73 .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.In 115, revolt broke out again in the province, leading to the second Jewish-Roman war known as the Kitos War, and again in 132 in what is known as Bar Kokhba's revolt.^ Rising in Spain However the very year in which the Roman provinces were established, 197 BC, and denuded of troops war broke out as the tribe of the Turdenati rose in revolt.

^ Bar Kochba's Revolt in Judaea, 132-135 .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ BC) The Second Punic War The Romans began the war with a giant miscalculation.

Both were brutally crushed.
.Due in large part to their employment of powerful heavy cavalry and mobile horse-archers, the Parthian Empire was the most formidable enemy of the Roman Empire in the east.^ They would soon become a loose cannon within the Empire, shattering essential supports of Roman power as the tribe rolled around.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ To most people thinking of the "Roman Empire," we are well into terra incognita here.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ What upset things was not any internal development, but a most unexpected revival and return of Roman power.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Trajan had campaigned against the Parthians and briefly captured their capital, putting a puppet ruler on the throne, but the territories were abandoned.^ Trajan was the first Emperor born in the provinces (Spain) and briefly, with his Mesopotamian campaign, expanded the Empire to its greatest extent.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.A revitalised Parthian Empire renewed its assault in 161, and defeated two Roman armies.^ The talented Coriolanus soon defeated the Roman army, driving them before him, until he and his Volscian army besieged Rome itself.

^ The Roman army was defeated, its consul captured and put to death.

^ Following his Sicilian adventure he no longer commanded the manpower that could match two Roman consular armies in the field.

General Gaius Avidius Cassius was sent in 162 to counter the resurgent Parthia. .The Parthian city of Seleucia on the Tigris was destroyed, and the Parthians made peace but were forced to cede western Mesopotamia to the Romans.^ By 294 BC the Etruscan cities who had joined in revolt also had made their peace with Rome.

^ Was the first act of the war the siege of Messana, by the joint forces of Carthage and Syracuse, the arrival of the Roman consular army under Appius Claudius made an end of it.

^ Possibly, the Romans ceded them control of cities they had conquered from them, yet this is little more than guesswork.

[115]
.In 197, Emperor Septimius Severus waged a brief and successful war against the Parthian Empire, during which time the Parthian capital was sacked, and the northern half of Mesopotamia was restored to Rome.^ Right from the start Rome distrusted Perseus as he had plotted against his younger brother Demetrius, assuring his execution for treason, during his father’s reign.

^ He had served as a tribune under Marcellus during the war against Carthage.

^ Hannibal was not going to fight a war against Rome in a manner of Rome’s choosing.

Emperor Caracalla marched on Parthia in 217 from Edessa to begin a war against them, but he was assassinated while on the march.[116] .In 224, the Parthian Empire was crushed not by the Romans but by the rebellious Persian vassal king Ardashir, who revolted, leading to the establishment of Sassanid Empire of Persia, which replaced Parthia as Rome's major rival in the East.^ By 294 BC the Etruscan cities who had joined in revolt also had made their peace with Rome.

^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It is important to keep in mind Rome’s preeminence in the region, established after the Second Macedonian War and the War against Antiochus, when viewing the later eastern wars and subsequent conquest of the east.

Barracks and Illyrian emperors (235-284) and Dominate (284–395)

Although the exact historicity is unclear, some mix of Germanic peoples, Celts, and tribes of mixed Celto-Germanic ethnicity were settled in the lands of Germania from the first century onwards. .The essential problem of large tribal groups on the frontier remained much the same as the situation Rome faced in earlier centuries, the third century saw a marked increase in the overall threat.^ The problems of campaigns in Spain remained the same as they had been ever since Rome had unwittingly inherited the Carthaginian territories there at the end of the Second Punic War.

^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If the decadence of pagan religion and despotic emperors was going to be the cause of the "fall" of Rome, then it certainly should have fallen in the Crisis of the Third Century .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[117][118]
.The assembled warbands of the Alamanni frequently crossed the border, attacking Germania Superior such that they were almost continually engaged in conflicts with the Roman Empire.^ They would soon become a loose cannon within the Empire, shattering essential supports of Roman power as the tribe rolled around.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Otherwise, the end of the dynasty demonstrates one drawback of the new themes: they represented such military force that the strategus , their commander, was continually tempted to revolt.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As it happened, the Norsemen were rather less successful against the Romans than they were against the Franks, and bouts of attacks were usually followed by treaties -- where such reconciliation was rarely necessary in the West.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.However, their first major assault deep into Roman territory did not come until 268. In that year the Romans were forced to denude much of their German frontier of troops in response to a massive invasion by another new Germanic tribal confederacy, the Goths, from the east.^ After this Gallic invasion the Romans decided it wise to set up an emergency fund (the aerarium sanctius ) that was to be used in the event of another invasion.

^ Rising in Spain However the very year in which the Roman provinces were established, 197 BC, and denuded of troops war broke out as the tribe of the Turdenati rose in revolt.

^ The lesser army moved into Campania, the major force, commanded by one Gellius Egnatius, moved north through Sabine territory and Umbria until it reached the boarder with the Gallic tribe of the Senones.

.The pressure of tribal groups pushing into the Empire was the end result of a chain of migrations with its roots far to the east.^ This not entirely coherent approach also results in the doublethink of moral satisfaction with the "fall" of the (Western) Empire in 476 while carefully ignoring the survival and resurgence of the Empire in the East.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Through Campania, they pushed into Latium and reached as far as Anagnia, or possibly even Praeneste.

[119]
.The Alamanni seized the opportunity to launch a major invasion of Gaul and northern Italy.^ In Gaul Hasdrubal began recruiting, building up an army in preparation for a second invasion of Italy.

^ Only Odoacer in Italy vaguely acknowledged the Emperor's suzerainty -- we don't know what allegiance to Constantinople, if any, remained in the Roman pocket in northern Gaul.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ War with the Etruscans and Gauls The unrest stirred up by Egnatius and his northern campaign in the Third Samnite War reverberated from some time in the north of Italy.

.However, the Visigoths were defeated in battle that summer and then routed in the Battle of Naissus.^ Crete, 365; defeated and killed by the Visigoths , Battle of Adrianople, 378 .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[120] .The Goths remained a major threat to the Empire but directed their attacks away from Italy itself for several years after their defeat.^ Some tribes may have broken away, but the Sabellian tribes of central Italy remained resolutely loyal.

^ One was that the Goths remained a unified and aggressive tribe within the Empire, ready to begin rampaging again at any time.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So thorough were his preparations, he remained an entire year in Gaul, before, like his brother before him, he crossed the Alps and descended into northern Italy.

Area settled by the Alamanni, and sites of Roman-Alamannic battles, 3rd to 6th century
The Alamanni on the other hand resumed their drive towards Italy almost immediately. .They defeated Aurelian at the Battle of Placentia in 271 but were beaten back for a short time, only to reemerge fifty years later.^ When the historian Polybius visited the area some fifty years later, he reported it to be thoroughly italianised.

^ So heavily had the Gauls been defeated, the peace should hold for another fifty years.

^ They were unceremoniously defeated and driven back north.

.In 378 the Goths inflicted a crushing defeat on the Eastern Empire at the Battle of Adrianople.^ Crete, 365; defeated and killed by the Visigoths , Battle of Adrianople, 378 .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[121][122]
.At the same time, Franks raided through the North Sea and the English Channel,[123] Vandals pressed across the Rhine, Iuthungi against the Danube, Iazyges, Carpi and Taifali harassed Dacia, and Gepids joined the Goths and Heruli in attacks round the Black Sea.^ But the Germans remain across the Rhine and Danube, growing in numbers and sophistication.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Franks here duplicate the later course of the Vandals , through Gaul, Spain, and North Africa, but without the same effects.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ When the Suevi, Alans, and Vandals crossed the frozen Rhine on New Year's Eve of 407, nothing stood in their way when they looted their way across Gaul and Spain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[124] .At the start of the fifth century AD, the pressure on Rome's western borders was growing intense.^ Gradually, the Limitanei fade from historical view and hardly seem to exist at all by the time German tribes cross the borders en masse in the Fifth Century.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ B. CRISIS OF THE FIFTH CENTURY, 379-476, 97 Years The map shows the key incursions that would fatally undermine the Western Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ By the end of the fifth century BC Rome had in fact become all but the mistress of Latium.

.A military that was often willing to support its commander over its emperor meant that commanders could establish sole control of the army they were responsible for and usurp the imperial throne.^ Otherwise, the end of the dynasty demonstrates one drawback of the new themes: they represented such military force that the strategus , their commander, was continually tempted to revolt.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Following his Sicilian adventure he no longer commanded the manpower that could match two Roman consular armies in the field.

^ Rome could afford to be generous, having established her military supremacy over all parties involved.

The so-called Crisis of the Third Century describes the turmoil of murder, usurpation and in-fighting that is traditionally seen as developing with the murder of the Emperor Alexander Severus in 235.[125]
.Emperor Septimius Severus was forced to deal with two rivals for the throne: Pescennius Niger and then Clodius Albinus.^ The "family," however, turned out to be the entirely matrilineal creation of Severus' sister-in-law, Julia Maesa, who brought her two grandsons, entirely unrelated to Severus, to the throne.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Septimius Severus himself was one of the two Roman Emperors ( Constantius Chlorus was the other) to die (a natural death) at York (Eboracum) in Britain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Severus' successor Caracalla passed uninterrupted for a while until he was murdered by Macrinus,[126] who proclaimed himsef emperor in his place.^ He didn't even recognize the Emperor who "fell," Romulus Augustulus, as a successor of Augustus (neither did the East, for that matter).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Nevertheless, Gallienus rebuilt the army and, excluding Senators from legionary commands, put in place the generals who, although his own murderers, conducted the reconstruction of the Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Caracalla, although not sticking with his brother, maintained his popularity reasonably well, until he terrified enough soldiers to precipitate his inevitable murder.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The troops of Elagabalus declared him to be emperor instead, and the two met in battle at the Battle of Antioch in AD 218, in which Macrinus was defeated.^ There followed two days of skirmishing before the armies met in battle.

^ They met him at the Battle of Cirta ( Constantine, Algeria ), where he force was driven off the field.

^ Battle of the Zama The two armies commanded by the two greatest commanders of the age met at Zama.

[127]
.However, Elagabalus was murdered shortly afterwards[127] and Alexander Severus was proclaimed emperor, who at the end of his reign was murdered in turn.^ The "family," however, turned out to be the entirely matrilineal creation of Severus' sister-in-law, Julia Maesa, who brought her two grandsons, entirely unrelated to Severus, to the throne.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Nicephorus ended up killed in battle against the Bulgars , and his son Stauracius, proclaimed Emperor, turned out to be paralyzed from a spinal wound.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Valerian's relatively long reign ended with the unparalleled ignominy of being captured by Shapur I -- the only Roman Emperor captured by an enemy until Romanus IV in 1071.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[127] His murderers raised in his place Maximinus Thrax. .However, just as he had been raised by the army, Maximinus was also brought down by them and was murdered[128] when it appeared to his forces as though he would not be able to best the senatorial candidate for the throne, Gordian III.^ He has such a small force, however ( Legio II Isaura & Legio III Isaura -- Legio I Isaura Sagittaria was with the Mobile Army of the East), the rebellions cannot have been too serious.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But still Flamininus did not attack, knowing that it would mean trying to force his way passed a firmly entrenched Macedonian army, a fete impossible with the forces he had available.

^ Barriers may soon seal off the lagoon from the Adriatic, but this raises the problem of discharging the waste water brought down from inland cities.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Gordian III's fate is not certain, although he may have been murdered by his own successor, Philip the Arab, who ruled for only a few years before the army again raised a general to proclaimed emperor, this time Decius, who defeated Philip in the Battle of Verona to seize the throne.^ A characteristic moment came when the commander Aëtius , sometimes called "the Last Roman," who had defeated the Huns at Châlons-sur-Marne (Campus Mauriacus or the Catalaunian Plains, with substantial help from the Visigoths , whose King Theodoric I was killed), was murdered by the incompetent and jealous Emperor Valentinian III. Valentinian's own murder, as the Vandals symbolically arrived to plunder Rome, then left the throne completely at the mercy of the next person to get control of the Army, who was the German Ricimer.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Although St. Patrick's solicitude for the Irish anywhere is understandable, Christians in general did not worry about enslaving pagans -- which is why the word "slave" is derived from "Slav," who were enslaved long before they converted to Christianity.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The talented Coriolanus soon defeated the Roman army, driving them before him, until he and his Volscian army besieged Rome itself.

[129] Gallienus, emperor from AD 260 to 268, saw a remarkable array of usurpers. .Diocletian, a usurper himself, defeated Carinus to become emperor.^ Later in 407, the usurper Constantine took his troops out of Britain, simultaneously to secure Gaul and to establish himself as Emperor.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Theodore was himself defeated and captured by the Bulgarians, which would add him to the number of Valerian and Romanus IV if we considered him a proper Emperor of Romania.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Ricimer could not himself, as a German, become Emperor, so he could only retain power by keeping the Emperors as figureheads, or killing them.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Some small measure of stability again returned at this point, with the empire split into a Tetrarchy of two greater and two lesser emperors, a system that staved off civil wars for a short time until AD 312. In that year, relations between the tetrarchy collapsed for good.^ It would be more than fifteen years, until in 150 BC the remaining 300 of these captives were freed and returned to Greece.

^ Another was that Honorius and Arcadius, the two sons between whom Theodosius divided the Empire, were young and inexperienced.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ She’d lost the First Punic War and had spent the past three years fighting off rebellion.

.From AD 314 onwards, Constantine the Great defeated Licinius in a series of battles.^ The praetor’s famous words to the gathered multitude, ‘We have been defeated in a great battle’ scarcely convey the feeling of deep despair that overcame the capital.

^ The very next year Fulvius Flaccus defeated another great force at the Battle of the Manlian Pass.

^ Rome had sent forth consul P. Licinius Crassus to deal with an enemy who had already been defeated once and was no doubt not deemed as great a challenge as it had once been.

.Constantine then turned to Maxentius, beating him in the Battle of Verona and the Battle of Milvian Bridge.^ They met him at the Battle of Cirta ( Constantine, Algeria ), where he force was driven off the field.

^ The story that he saw a vision of the Cross in the sky with the inscription Hôc Vince ("By this [sign, signô ] Conquer") before (or during) the battle of the Milvian Bridge, when he defeated Maxentius in 312, comes very much later in hagiography.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.After overthrowing the Parthian confederacy,[130][131] the Sassanid Empire that arose from its remains pursued a more aggressive expansionist policy than their predecessors[132][133] and continued to make war against Rome.^ After the peace with Rome in 205 BC, Macedon continued an aggressive policy against the Greeks.

^ Keeping up appearances, Rome remained officially at war with Syracuse.

^ The problems of campaigns in Spain remained the same as they had been ever since Rome had unwittingly inherited the Carthaginian territories there at the end of the Second Punic War.

.In 230, the first Sassanid emperor attacked Roman territory,[133] and in 243, Emperor Gordian III's army defeated the Sassanids at the Battle of Resaena.^ At the Battle of Callinicus, which took place some 3 miles from Larissa ( Larisa ), the entire Roman consular force was put to rout by the army of Perseus.

^ Antiochus III of Syria, who had lost control of the sea in the naval war, meanwhile withdrew his troops from the coasts in Asia Minor, awaiting the Roman attack.

^ The talented Coriolanus soon defeated the Roman army, driving them before him, until he and his Volscian army besieged Rome itself.

[134]
.In 253 the Sassanids under Shapur I penetrated deeply into Roman territory, defeating a Roman force at the Battle of Barbalissos[135] and conquering and plundering Antioch.^ Romans defeated by the Gauls under Brennus at the Battle of Allia.

^ At the Battle of Callinicus, which took place some 3 miles from Larissa ( Larisa ), the entire Roman consular force was put to rout by the army of Perseus.

^ BC) What saved the Roman force from total destruction was that in the headlong pursuit of the fleeing enemy, the Macedonian forces fell into disorder and hence chose to pull back.

[130][135] .In 260 at the Battle of Edessa the Sassanids defeated the Roman army[136] and captured the Roman Emperor Valerian.^ The Roman army was defeated, its consul captured and put to death.

^ At the Battle of Callinicus, which took place some 3 miles from Larissa ( Larisa ), the entire Roman consular force was put to rout by the army of Perseus.

^ The talented Coriolanus soon defeated the Roman army, driving them before him, until he and his Volscian army besieged Rome itself.

[130][133]
.There was a lasting peace between Rome and the Sassanid Empire between 297 and 337 following a treaty between Narseh and Emperor Diocletian.^ Rome at first resisted any appeals for help by the mercenary renegades, staying true to her obligations under the peace treaty.

^ The treaty provided not only for peace between the two sides, but renewed their old alliance.

^ There was no formal treaty or understanding between Rome and King Attalus.

.However, just before the death of Constantine I in 337, Shapur II broke the peace and began a twenty-six year conflict, attempting with little success to conquer Roman fortresses in the region.^ Because of its success, however, one can hope that other events in Roman history, however fictionalized, will have a chance to make it onto the screen.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Whether anything quite like this happened or not, however, Bulgaria only lasted four more years before being annexed.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Before things had gone that far, however, we see that the attempt of Michael V, at the death of his uncle (?
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Emperor Julian met Shapur in 363 in the Battle of Ctesiphon outside the walls of the Persian capital.^ Decius and Herennius were killed in battle by the Goths in 251 -- the only Roman Emperors to die in battle (against external enemies) besides Julian (against the Persians, 363), Valens (against the Goths again, 378), Nicephorus I (against the Bulgars, 811), and Constantine XI (with the fall of Constantinople to the Turks, 1453).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Romans were victorious but were unable to take the city and were forced to retreat.^ Even though their victory had failed to result in the destruction of the enemy’s army, Rome had triumphed, taking and sacking the city of Acragas, renaming it Agrigentum.

^ His ramshackle army didn’t possess the necessary expertise for effective siege craft and clearly lacked the organization as well as the overwhelming force to take a city by storm.

^ But once extracated by the intervention of a third Roman force commanded by Publius Decius Mus, Cornelius went on to add yet another decisive victory to the Roman campaign.

There were several later wars.

Collapse of the Western Empire (395–476)

Europe in 476, from Muir's Historical Atlas (1911).
.After the death of Theodosius I in 395, the Visigoths renounced their treaty with the Empire and invaded northern Italy under their new king Alaric, but were repeatedly repulsed by the Western commander-in-chief Stilicho.^ These are the commanders-in-chief of the Western Army (distiguished by purple color), with the Master of Soldiers becoming the effective "Generalissimo" of the Western Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ After the death of Theodosius I, the Visigoths begin to move around in the Balkans.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The success of this coup was a chilling precursor to the eventual Fall of the Western Empire, whose final Emperors became the futile play things of Germanic commanders.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

However, the limes on the Rhine had been depleted of Roman troops, and in early 407 Vandals, Alans, and Suevi invaded Gaul en masse and, meeting little resistance, proceeded to cross the Pyrenees, entering Spain in 409.
.Stilicho became a victim of court intrigues in Ravenna (where the imperial court resided since 402) and was executed for high treason in 408. After his death, the government became increasingly ineffective in dealing with the barbarians, and in 410 Rome was sacked by the Visigoths.^ Right from the start Rome distrusted Perseus as he had plotted against his younger brother Demetrius, assuring his execution for treason, during his father’s reign.

^ So badly mauled had the city been by the barbarian sacking, it was even considered to abandon Rome and to move the population to the beautiful city of Veii instead.

^ Gladiatorial combat ended in Colosseum, 404; Rome sacked by Visigoths , 410; Gaul recovered from Constantine "III," 411; Visigoths destroy Alans and Siling Vandals in Spain, 416 .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Under Alaric's successors, the Goths then settled in Gaul (412-418) as foederati and for a while were successfully employed against the Vandals, Alans, and Suevi in Spain.^ Suevi , Vandals , & Alans cross Rhine, 1 January 407 .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Franks here duplicate the later course of the Vandals , through Gaul, Spain, and North Africa, but without the same effects.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Since the strength of the forces in Gaul was some 32,500 men, this reinforces that interpretation -- although we then wonder why such a force seems to have been so ineffective when the Alans, Vandals, and Suevi invaded in 407.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Meanwhile, in the turmoil of the preceding years, Roman Britain had been abandoned.
.After Honorius' death in 423, the Eastern empire installed the weak Valentinian III as Western Emperor in Ravenna.^ One of the most interesting people in the diagram is the Empress Galla Placidia, the daughter of Theodosius I, the wife of Constantius III, and the mother of Valentinian III. With Honorius and Constantius she was buried in the chapel of Saints Nazarius and Celsus in Ravenna.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ A last chance to recoup things for the whole Empire came in 468, after Leo had gotten Ricimer to accept the Theodosian relative Anthemius as Western Emperor.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Thus, the unity of the Eastern Army was focused more directly on the Emperor himself, which may have helped the Eastern Empire avoid the situation in the West where the Emperors became mere figureheads.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

After a violent struggle with several rivals, Aetius rose to the rank of magister militum. Aetius was able to stabilize the empire's military situation somewhat, relying heavily on his Hunnic allies. .With their help he defeated the Burgundians, who had occupied part of southern Gaul after 407, and settled them as Roman allies in the Savoy (433).^ Romans defeated by the Gauls under Brennus at the Battle of Allia.

^ The treaty seems to have made a significant distinction between areas under direct Roman protection and cities who were mere allies of Rome.

^ It may in fact have been the case that some previous campaigns against the Gauls had seen Samnite allies fighting alongside Roman legionaries.

.Later that century, as Roman power faded away, the Burgundians extended their rule to the Rhone valley.^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The hard won independence of Judaea fell within a century to Rome, which for a time, as elsewhere, tolerated a fiction of local rule -- the Herodian dynasty owed its power entirely to Roman favor.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In his attempt to extend Roman power to the Elbe, Augustus lost three Legions at the battle of the Teutoburger Wald in 9 AD. The numbers of the lost Legions were never used again (likewise with the Legions later disbanded for rebellion).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Meanwhile, pressure from the Visigoths and a rebellion by the governor of Africa, Bonifacius, had induced the Vandals under their king Gaiseric to cross over from Spain in 429. After capturing Carthage, they established an independent state with a powerful navy (439), which was officially recognised by the Empire in 442. The Vandal fleet from then on formed a constant danger to Roman seafare and the coasts and islands of the Western and Central Mediterranean.^ Rome meanwhile was busy in Spain and Carthage.

^ Much worse, the crafty Vandal King Gaiseric ("King Caesar") built a fleet after securing Carthage in 439.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Meanwhile victory over Carthage had left no opposition to Roman occupation of the western Mediterranean other than the various tribes who lived there.

.In 444, the Huns, who had been employed as Roman allies by Aetius, were united under their king Attila, who invaded Gaul and was only stopped with great effort by a combined Roman-Germanic force led by Aetius in the Battle of Châlons (451).^ Only the Aetolian League was the only significant ally gained in 200 BC, who put effective troops into the field.

^ At the Battle of Callinicus, which took place some 3 miles from Larissa ( Larisa ), the entire Roman consular force was put to rout by the army of Perseus.

^ King Syphax was pursued by a swift moving Roman force, commanded by Scipio’s trusted friend Laelius and Scipio’s Numidian ally Masinissa (an enemy of Syphax).

The next year, Attila invaded Italy and proceeded to march upon Rome, but he halted his campaign and died a year later in 453.
.Aetius was murdered by Valentinian in 454, who was then himself murdered by the dead general's supporters a year later.^ Nevertheless, Gallienus rebuilt the army and, excluding Senators from legionary commands, put in place the generals who, although his own murderers, conducted the reconstruction of the Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Two years later saw a general rising of the Celtiberian tribes of central Spain.

.With the end of the Theodosian dynasty, a new period of dynastic struggle ensued.^ Otherwise, the end of the dynasty demonstrates one drawback of the new themes: they represented such military force that the strategus , their commander, was continually tempted to revolt.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Theodosian dynasty thus ends in the West with a combination of triumph, betrayal, and chaos.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Vandals took advantage of the unrest, sailed up to Rome, and plundered the city in 455. As the barbarians settled in the former provinces, nominally as allies but de facto operating as independent polities, the territory of the Western Empire was effectively reduced to Italy and parts of Gaul.^ In Gaul Hasdrubal began recruiting, building up an army in preparation for a second invasion of Italy.

^ The worst part of the story may be that it has it that Odoacer was a (filthy, wild) Goth attacking Rome (a former ally rather like Alaric).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ These are the commanders-in-chief of the Western Army (distiguished by purple color), with the Master of Soldiers becoming the effective "Generalissimo" of the Western Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.From 455 onward, several emperors were installed in the West by the government of Constantinople, but their authority only reached as far as the barbarian commanders of the army and their troops (Ricimer (456-472), Gundobad (473-475)) allowed it to.^ It is also from this point that the status of the Emperor is elevated far beyond that of a mere official to a being with semi-divine status, altering the form of government from the "Principate" to " Dominate ," from Dominus , "Lord."
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The conquest of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade did not result in the establishment of the authority of the Latin Emperors over the whole of the previous Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In 198 BC, with the war a dismal failure so far, consul Titus Quinctius Flamininus, only 30 years of age, was dispatched to assume command.

.In 475, Orestes, a former secretary of Attila, drove Emperor Julius Nepos out of Ravenna and proclaimed his own son Romulus Augustus as emperor.^ The first commander of Nepos, Ecdicius, was a son of the former Emperor Avitus.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Nicephorus ended up killed in battle against the Bulgars , and his son Stauracius, proclaimed Emperor, turned out to be paralyzed from a spinal wound.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So in 476, Orestes and his son were then deposed by the German Odoacer (who originally had been in the guard of Anthemius), who decided to do without a figurehead Emperor.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.In 476, Orestes refused to grant Odoacer and the Heruli federated status, prompting the latter to kill him, depose his son and send the imperial insignia to Constantinople, installing himself as king over Italy.^ So in 476, Orestes and his son were then deposed by the German Odoacer (who originally had been in the guard of Anthemius), who decided to do without a figurehead Emperor.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He found himself held in check by two armies, a Punic force commanded by Hasdrubal, son of Gisco, and a Numidian force, commanded by their King Syphax.

^ Orestes & Augustulus, 476; Nepos killed, 480; defeated, besieged, & killed by Theodoric , 489-493 .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Although isolated pockets of Roman rule continued even after 476, the city of Rome itself was under the rule of the barbarians, and the control of Rome over the West had effectively ended.^ The competition for the throne in 193 was not very edifying, and absolutely none of the players appear in Gladiator , not even Pertinax, the prefect of the city of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The city of Rome itself still remained safe.

^ The office of the Roman Consuls, and dating by them, continues under the Empire until Justinian .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

The Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire endured until 1453 with the capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks led by Mehmed II.

Legacy

The American magazine National Geographic described the legacy of the Roman Empire in The World According to Rome:
.
The enduring Roman influence is reflected pervasively in contemporary language, literature, legal codes, government, architecture, engineering, medicine, sports, arts, etc.^ The issue of România and the Vlach language and people is discussed further in " The Vlach Connection and Further Reflections on Roman History ."
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Much of it is so deeply inbedded that we barely notice our debt to ancient Rome. Consider language, for example. Fewer and fewer people today claim to know Latin — and yet, go back to the first sentence in this paragraph. .If we removed all the words drawn directly from Latin, that sentence would read; "The."^ Sentences I write contain borrowed Latin words with some frequency [e.g.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Exceptions would be for Greek words that simply have Latin translations.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[137][nb 5]
.Several states claimed to be the Roman Empire's successors after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ On the map we see the classic form of the German successor Kingdoms of the Western Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As befitting his reputation, Pyrrhus arrived with an army of 25,000 men, drawn from various quarters of the ‘successor states’ to Alexander’s empire.

.The Holy Roman Empire, an attempt to resurrect the Empire in the West, was established in 800 when Pope Leo III crowned Frankish King Charlemagne as Roman Emperor on Christmas Day, though the empire and the imperial office did not become formalised for some decades.^ As Frankish power waxed, the Pope took the step of crowning the Frankish King Charles as Emperor in 800.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Cincinnatus becomes dictator for sixteen days and rescues remaining Roman army c.

^ Eagles were used by many to imply Roman antecedents, but the double headed eagle was adopted in particular by the Holy Roman Empire , by Imperial Russia , and by the Serbs .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.After the fall of Constantinople, the Russian Tsardom, as inheritor of the Byzantine Empire's Orthodox Christian tradition, counted itself the third Rome (Constantinople having been the second).^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He knows that the Empire is now centered in Christian Constantinople, and his awareness of this is strong enough that it actually erases the existence of the last Western Emperors.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Third Samnite War After the end of the Second Samnite War Rome was at liberty to take her time and tie up any loose ends left by the war.

.When the Ottomans, who based their state on the Byzantine model, took Constantinople in 1453, Mehmed II established his capital there and claimed to sit on the throne of the Roman Empire.^ The Canon can then obviously be continued from 1453 with the Ottomans , who make for a succession in Constantinople in an even more seamless fashion than Augustus takes over from Cleopatra.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ After the restoration of Greek rule in Constantinople, a claim to the Roman throne passed down through the descendants of Baldwin II. Charles of Anjou , who had his own designs on Romania, married a daughter to Baldwin's son Philip.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

He even went so far as to launch an invasion of Italy with the purpose of "re-uniting the Empire", although Papal and Neapolitan armies stopped his march on Rome at Otranto in 1480. Constantinople was not officially renamed Istanbul until 28 March 1930.
.Excluding these states claiming its heritage, if the traditional date for the founding of Rome is accepted as fact, the Roman state can be said to have lasted in some form from 753 BC to the fall in 1461 of the Empire of Trebizond (a successor state and fragment of the Byzantine Empire which escaped conquest by the Ottomans in 1453), for a total of 2,214 years.^ If they would see Rome through the next five years unharmed, then Rome would offer the first born of all her flocks and herds on a date set by the senate.

^ The Emperor at Nicaea was the one to return to Constantinople, but the Emperor at Trebizond was the last to fall to the Turks.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ At this stage, Carthage recognized Rome as the coming great power, and agreed with her the momentous treaty of 348 BC - in the view of some authorities, the first between the two states, while others regard it as a simple renewal of a treaty supposedly made in 509 BC, the very first year of the republic.

.The Roman impact on Western and Eastern civilisations lives on.^ Meanwhile victory over Carthage had left no opposition to Roman occupation of the western Mediterranean other than the various tribes who lived there.

In time most of the Roman achievements were duplicated by later civilisations. For example, the technology for cement was rediscovered 1755–1759 by John Smeaton.
.The Empire contributed many things to the world, such as a calendar with leap years, the institutions of Christianity and aspects of modern neo-classicistic and Byzantine architecture.^ The astonishing thing is that any such statues should still have been there almost four hundred years after Constantine.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In Modern thought, this construction tends to be reversed, with the superstition and dogmatism of Christianity dragging the Classical World down into the Dark Ages.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The extensive system of roads that was constructed by the Roman Army lasts to this day.^ Cincinnatus becomes dictator for sixteen days and rescues remaining Roman army c.

^ These are the last days of the Classic Army of the Principate.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ These concealed troops then sprung upon the marching Roman army as passed the next day.

.Because of this network of roads, the time necessary to travel between destinations in Europe did not decrease until the 19th century, when steam power was invented.^ This is what Mediaeval Popes wanted to do, but it has nothing to do with the 5th or 6th centuries, when the Popes had no such power and would not have imagined that they did.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The "Great City" (we could say "Mickleyard" with English words) could not have been more appropriate, since Constantinople was the largest city in Europe until at least the 13th century.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Even modern astrology comes to us directly from the Romans.
.The Roman Empire also contributed its form of government, which influences various constitutions including those of most European countries and many former European colonies.^ Eagles were used by many to imply Roman antecedents, but the double headed eagle was adopted in particular by the Holy Roman Empire , by Imperial Russia , and by the Serbs .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This no longer seems so admirable, and the Empire founded by Julius Caesar and Augustus, as a form of government, does not look like an advance in the course of human progress.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Paul Johnson in his A History of the Jews [HarperPerennial, 1988], Jews constituted as much as 10% of the population of the Roman Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.In the United States, for example, the framers of the Constitution remarked, in creating the Presidency, that they wanted to inaugurate an "Augustan Age". The modern world also inherited legal thinking from Roman law, fully codified in Late Antiquity.^ Actual Italian Romans are portrayed unpleasantly, which creates a distinction (and a conflict) that wouldn't have existed in Late Antiquity.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Meanwhile he had built the greatest church in Christendom, Sancta Sophia [ note ], codified Roman Law, and driven the last pagans, at Plato's Academy, out of business.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Most significantly though, the Hortensian Law also granted the plebeian assembly ( concilium plebis ) the right to pass laws which would be binding for all Romans, be they plebeians or patricians.

.Governing a vast territory, the Romans developed the science of public administration to an extent never before conceived or necessary, creating an extensive civil service and formalised methods of tax collection.^ And modern bureaucrats are protected from accountability by "Civil Service" status and their own politically active and powerful public employee labor unions.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The twelve copper tables were a simple set of rules governing the public, private and political behaviour of every Roman.

^ They were never subject to the Roman Emperors in Constantinople, and they occupied territories that had been abandoned by the Roman Empire in the Third Century , or never occupied by it in the first place.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.While in the West the term "Roman" acquired a new meaning in connection with the church and the Pope of Rome the Greek form Romaioi remained attached to the Greek-speaking Christian population of the Eastern Roman Empire and is still used by Greeks in addition to their common appellation.^ Eagles were used by many to imply Roman antecedents, but the double headed eagle was adopted in particular by the Holy Roman Empire , by Imperial Russia , and by the Serbs .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Then the basilica and the dome would be combined, to produce in the Renaissance the new largest church in Christendom, St. Peter's in Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[138]
The Roman Empire's territorial legacy of controlling the Italian peninsula would serve as an influence to Italian nationalism and the unification (Risorgimento) of Italy in 1861.

See also

Notes

footnotes
  1. ^ Since classical and modern concepts of state do not coincide, other possibilities include Res publica Romana, Imperium Romanum or Romanorum (also in Greek: Βασιλείᾱ τῶν Ῥωμαίων - Basileíā tôn Rhōmaíōn - ["Dominion (Literally 'kingdom') of the Romans"]) and Romania. Res publica, as a term denoting the Roman "commonwealth" in general, can refer to both the Republican and the Imperial era, while Imperium Romanum (or, sometimes, Romanorum) is used to refer to the territorial extent of Roman authority. Populus Romanus, "the Roman people", is often used for the Roman state dealing with other nations. The term Romania, initially a colloquial term for the empire's territory as well as the collectivity of its inhabitants, appears in Greek and Latin sources from the fourth century onward and was eventually carried over to the Byzantine Empire. (See Wolff, R.L. "Romania: The Latin Empire of Constantinople". In: Speculum, 23 (1948), pp. 1–34 (pp. 2–3).)
  2. ^ During the struggles of the Late Republic hundreds of senators were killed or died, and the Roman Senate had been refilled with supporters of the First Triumvirate and later those of the Second Triumvirate.
  3. ^ Octavian/Augustus officially proclaimed that he had saved the Roman Republic and carefully disguised his power under republican forms; consuls continued to be elected, tribunes of the plebeians continued to offer legislation, and senators still debated in the Roman Curia. However, it was Octavian, and every effective emperor thereafter, who influenced everything and controlled the final decisions, and in final analysis, had the legions to back him up, if it ever became necessary.
  4. ^ This is somewhat simplistic as the Romans did not simply adopt/copy Greek or other cultures. See, for example, Freeman, C. The Greek Achievement: The Foundation of the Western World (New York: Penguin, 1999) for a more detailed description of how the Romans interacted with Greek (and other) cultures.
  5. ^ The final statement is not entirely accurate (in terms of the linguistic etymology): many words with Latin roots, such as engineering and sports, were borrowed from French [1] [2] and were thus derived indirectly, while the main verb and the preposition in the first sentence are native English (Germanic) forms, though with close Latin parallels (est, in) due to shared Indo-European history. However, the point pertaining to the pervading influence is valid.
citations
  1. ^ Constantine I (306 - 337 AD) by Hans A. Pohlsander. De Imperatoribus Romanis. Written 2004-1-8. Retrieved 2007-3-20.
  2. ^ a b c d Taagepera, Rein (1979). "Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D.". Social Science History 3 (3/4): 125. doi:10.2307/1170959. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0145-5532%281979%293%3A3%2F4%3C115%3ASADOEG%3E2.0.CO%3B2-H. 
  3. ^ John D. Durand, Historical Estimates of World Population: An Evaluation, 1977, pp. 253–296.
  4. ^ "Roman Empire -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia". www.britannica.com. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/507739/Roman-Empire. Retrieved 2008-07-09. 
  5. ^ "Roman Empire", Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2008
  6. ^ Parker, Philip, "The Empire Stops Here". p.2.
  7. ^ Chester G. Starr, A History of the Ancient World, Second Edition. Oxford University Press, 1974. pp. 670–678.
  8. ^ Isaac Asimov. Asimov's Chronology of the World. Harper Collins, 1989. p. 110.
  9. ^ Asimov, p. 198.
  10. ^ Abbott, 342
  11. ^ Abbott, 357
  12. ^ a b Abbott, 345
  13. ^ Abbott, 354
  14. ^ Abbott, 341
  15. ^ Goldsworthy, Adrian (2003). "The Life of a Roman Soldier". The Complete Roman Army. London: Thames & Hudson. pp. 80. ISBN 0-500-05124-0. 
  16. ^ Abbott, 385
  17. ^ a b Abbott, 383
  18. ^ Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, Life of Augustus paragraph 41
  19. ^ a b c The complete Roman army by Adrian Goldsworthy, 2003 chapter The Army of the Principate, p.50; ISBN 0-500-05124-0
  20. ^ The complete Roman army by Adrian Goldsworthy, 2005 chapter The Army of the Principate, p.183; ISBN 0-500-05124-0
  21. ^ Rome and her enemies published by Osprey, 2005 part 3 Early Empire 27BC — AD 235, chapter 9 The Romans, section Remuneration, p.183; ISBN 978-1-84603-336-0
  22. ^ Tacitus Annales IV.5
  23. ^ Goldsworthy (2003) 51
  24. ^ The complete Roman army by Adrian Goldsworthy 2003, chapter After Service, p.114; ISBN 0-500-05124-0
  25. ^ a b c Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, Life of Augusts paragraph 47
  26. ^ Tacitus, Ann. XII, 69.
  27. ^ Pliny's Natural History xxx.4.
  28. ^ a b Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, Life of Claudius paragraph 25
  29. ^ Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, Life of Tiberius paragraph 36
  30. ^ Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, Life of Nero paragraph 16
  31. ^ a b Tacitus, Annals XV.44
  32. ^ Ekelund, Robert Burton; Hébert, Robert F.: The Marketplace of Christianity, pg. 60, The MIT Press, Nov. 2006, ISBN 978-0-262-05082-1
  33. ^ Fergus Millar, A Greek Roman Empire: Power and Belief under Theodosius II (408-450). Sather Classical Lectures, Vol. .64. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006. Pp.^ A Dictionary of Surnames , Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges, Oxford University Press, 1988, pp.563-564, 568).
    • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

    279. ISBN 0-520-24703-5; Warren Treadgold "A Concise History of Byzantium" (New York: St Martin's Press, 2001); Warren Treadgold "A History of the Byzantine State and Society" (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1997)
  34. ^ a b c d Freeman (1999), pp.389-433
  35. ^ Lee I. Levine Jerusalem see page 154
  36. ^ http://www.unrv.com/provinces/judaea.php
  37. ^ Social and Economic Conditions of the Roman Empire in the Fourth Century by Paul Vinogradoff, 1911, Cambridge Medieval History, Volume One, pp. 542–567
  38. ^ Lee I. Levine Jerusalem p. 154
  39. ^ Andrew Sherratt (Ed.) "The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Archeology" (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1980), pp. 242–243. ISBN 0-521-22989-8
  40. ^ http://www.religiousstudies.uncc.edu/jdtabor/overview-roman-world.html; http://www.jstor.org/pss/3155063;
  41. ^ Andrew Sherratt (Ed.) "The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Archeology" (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1980), pp. 240–244. ISBN 0-521-22989-8
  42. ^ McDonnell/MacDonnell, Roman Manliness: Virtus and the Roman Republic
  43. ^ Greek Language, Encyclopedia Britannica
  44. ^ Jones, Mark Wilson Principles of Roman Architecture. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.
  45. ^ Kevin Greene, "Technological Innovation and Economic Progress in the Ancient World: M.I. Finley Re-Considered", The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 53, No. 1. (Feb., 2000), pp. 29–59 (39)
  46. ^ Scott, 404
  47. ^ Abbott, 1
  48. ^ Abbott, 2
  49. ^ Abbott, 6
  50. ^ Social History of Rome By Géza Alföldy, David Braund, 1985
  51. ^ "Resisting Slavery in Ancient Rome". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/slavery_01.shtml. Retrieved 2008-06-20. 
  52. ^ "Slavery in Ancient Rome". Kentucky Educational Television. http://www.dl.ket.org/latinlit/mores/slaves/. Retrieved 2008-06-20. 
  53. ^ The Romans at Work and Play. Western New England College.
  54. ^ a b Austin, Roland G. "Roman Board Games. I", Greece & Rome 4:10, October 1934. pp. 24–34.
  55. ^ The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire, Nigel Rodgers, Lorenz Books, ISBN 978-0-7548-1911-0 (page 490)
  56. ^ Pliny the Elder's Natural History, book 12 pp. 38
  57. ^ a b "Romans' crimes of fashion revealed". BBC. 2003-08-26. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3181443.stm. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  58. ^ Sumner & D'Amato, G. & R. (2002). Roman Military clothing (2) AD 200 to 400. ISBN 18417655970, 7–9
  59. ^ Rodgers, p.491
  60. ^ The Inheritance of Rome, Chris Wickham, Penguin Books Ltd. 2009, ISBN 978-0-670-02098-0 (page 106)
  61. ^ "Me pascunt olivae, me cichorea levesque malvae." Horace, Odes 1.31.15, ca 30 BC
  62. ^ Phillips pg 46-56
  63. ^ Lucilius—the acknowledged originator of Roman Satire in the form practiced by Juvenal—experimented with other meters before settling on dactylic hexameter.
  64. ^ Toynbee, J. M. C. (December 1971). "Roman Art". The Classical Review 21 (3): 439–442. doi:10.1017/S0009840X00221331. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0009-840X%28197112%292%3A21%3A3%3C439%3ARA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-O. Retrieved 2007-12-11. 
  65. ^ "Mousike, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, at Perseus". http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2368891. 
  66. ^ W. L. MacDonald, The Architecture of the Roman Empire, rev. ed. Yale University Press, New Haven, 1982, fig. 131B; Lechtman and Hobbs "Roman Concrete and the Roman Architectural Revolution"
  67. ^ The Legacy of Roman Education (in the Forum), Nanette R. Pacal, The Classical Journal, Vol. 79, No. 4. (Apr. – May, 1984)
  68. ^ a b Oxford Classical Dictionary, Edited by Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth, Third Edition. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1996
  69. ^ [3]
  70. ^ [4]
  71. ^ Walter Scheidel: Population and demography, Princeton/Stanford Working Papers in Classics, Version 1.0, April 2006, p. 2
  72. ^ a b Walter Scheidel: Population and demography, Princeton/Stanford Working Papers in Classics, Version 1.0, April 2006, p. 9
  73. ^ Raymond Goldsmith (1984): "An Estimate of the Size and Structure of the National Product of the Early Roman Empire", Review of Income and Wealth, vol. 30, no. 3, September, pp. 263-288 (263)
  74. ^ Nishijima (1986), 595–596.
  75. ^ a b Abbott, 267
  76. ^ a b Abbott, 269
  77. ^ Abbott, 268
  78. ^ Abbott, 272
  79. ^ a b Abbott, 273
  80. ^ Abbott, 293
  81. ^ Abbott, 296
  82. ^ Abbott, 298
  83. ^ Christine A. Smith. Plague in the Ancient World: A Study from Thucydides to Justinian.Loyola University New Orleans.
  84. ^ Matyszak, The Enemies of Rome, p. 285
  85. ^ Goldsworthy, In the Name of Rome, p. 361
  86. ^ Matyszak, The Enemies of Rome, p. 231
  87. ^ Goldsworthy, In the Name of Rome, p. 244
  88. ^ Goldsworthy, In the Name of Rome, p. 245
  89. ^ Matyszak, The Enemies of Rome, p. 159
  90. ^ Clunn, In Quest of the Lost Legions, p. xv
  91. ^ Churchill, A History of the English Speaking Peoples, p. 4
  92. ^ Churchill, A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, p. 5
  93. ^ Churchill, A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, p. 10
  94. ^ Goldsworthy, In the Name of Rome, p. 269
  95. ^ Luttwak, The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, p. 38
  96. ^ Goldsworthy, In the Name of Rome, p. 322
  97. ^ Matyszak, The Enemies of Rome, p. 213
  98. ^ Matyszak, The Enemies of Rome, p. 215
  99. ^ Matyszak, The Enemies of Rome, p. 222
  100. ^ Matyszak, The Enemies of Rome, p. 223
  101. ^ Tacitus, The Histories, Book 1, ch. 41
  102. ^ Plutarch, Lives, Galba
  103. ^ Luttwak, The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, p. 51
  104. ^ Lane Fox, The Classical World, p. 542
  105. ^ Tacitus, The Histories, Book 1, ch. 57
  106. ^ Plutarch, Lives, Otho
  107. ^ a b c Luttwak, The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, p. 52
  108. ^ Tacitus, The Histories, Book 1, ch. 44
  109. ^ Tacitus, The Histories, Book 1, ch. 49
  110. ^ Tactitus, The Histories, Book 3, ch. 18
  111. ^ Tactitus, The Histories, Book 3, ch. 25
  112. ^ Goldsworthy, In the Name of Rome, p. 294
  113. ^ Santosuosso, Storming the Heavens, p. 146
  114. ^ Luttwak, The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, p. 3
  115. ^ Grant, The History of Rome, p. 273
  116. ^ Grant, The History of Rome, p. 279
  117. ^ Luttwak, The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, p. 146
  118. ^ Grant, The History of Rome, p. 282
  119. ^ Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, p. 624
  120. ^ Grant, The History of Rome, p. 285
  121. ^ Ammianus Marcellinus, Historiae, book 31.
  122. ^ Jordanes, The Origins and Deeds of the Goths, 138.
  123. ^ Grant, The History of Rome, p. 284
  124. ^ Luttwak, The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, p. 149
  125. ^ Grant, The History of Rome, p. 280
  126. ^ Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, p. 129
  127. ^ a b c Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, p. 130
  128. ^ Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, p. 131
  129. ^ Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, p. 135
  130. ^ a b c Grant, The History of Rome, p. 283
  131. ^ Luttwak, The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, p. 128
  132. ^ Matyszak, The Enemies of Rome, p. 234
  133. ^ a b c Luttwak, The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, p. 151
  134. ^ Matyszak, The Enemies of Rome, p. 235
  135. ^ a b Matyszak, The Enemies of Rome, p. 236
  136. ^ Matyszak, The Enemies of Rome, p. 237
  137. ^ Reid (1997), p. 54.
  138. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica, History of Europe, The Romans, 2008, O.Ed.

References

  • Frank Frost Abbott (1901). A History and Description of Roman Political Institutions. Elibron Classics. .ISBN 0-543-92749-0. 
  • John Bagnell Bury, A History of the Roman Empire from its Foundation to the death of Marcus Aurelius, 1913, ISBN 978-1-4367-3416-5
  • Winston Churchill, A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, Cassell, 1998, ISBN 0-304-34912-7
  • J. A. Crook, Law and Life of Rome, 90 BC–AD 212, 1967, ISBN 0-8014-9273-4
  • Donald R. Dudley, The Civilization of Rome, 2nd ed., 1985, ISBN 0-452-01016-0
  • Arther Ferrill, The Fall of the Roman Empire: The Military Explanation, Thames and Hudson, 1988, ISBN 0-500-27495-9
  • Freeman, Charles (1999).^ In 312 BC by order of censor Appius Claudius Caecus, Rome began construction of the Via Appia, the first of her famous military highways.

    ^ Rome and Romania, 27 BC-1453 AD, Note 1 .
    • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

    ^ This small town, whose military garrison never exceeded 8,000, was to go down in history for resisting continuous Roman attacks for nine years.

    The Greek Achievement: The Foundation of the Western World. New York: Penguin. .ISBN 0-670-88515-0. 
  • Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 1776–1789
  • Adrian Goldsworthy, The Punic Wars, Cassell & Co, 2000, ISBN 0-304-35284-5
  • Adrian Goldsworthy, In the Name of Rome: The Men Who Won the Roman Empire, Weidenfield and Nicholson, 2003, ISBN 0-297-84666-3
  • Adrian Goldsworthy, The Complete Roman Army, Thames and Hudson, 2003, ISBN 0-500-05124-0
  • Michael Grant, The History of Rome, Faber and Faber, 1993, ISBN 0-571-11461-X
  • Tom Holland, Rubicon, Little Brown, 2003, ISBN 0-316-86130-8
  • Andrew Lintott, Imperium Romanum: Politics and administration, 1993, ISBN 0-415-09375-9
  • Edward Luttwak, The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, Johns Hopkins University Press, ISBN 0-8018-2158-4
  • Reid, T.R. (1997).^ The Gauls were commanded by a Carthaginian called Hamilcar, who was still at large after the end of the Second Punic War.

    ^ The problems of campaigns in Spain remained the same as they had been ever since Rome had unwittingly inherited the Carthaginian territories there at the end of the Second Punic War.

    ^ Antiochus III of Syria, who had lost control of the sea in the naval war, meanwhile withdrew his troops from the coasts in Asia Minor, awaiting the Roman attack.

    "The World According to Rome". National Geographic 192 (2): 54–83. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/. 
  • Sadao Nishijima. (1986). ."The Economic and Social History of Former Han", in Cambridge History of China: Volume I: the Ch'in and Han Empires, 221 B.C. – A.D. 220, 545–607. Edited by Denis Twitchett and Michael Loewe.^ Bury speculates that Aegidius held both titles [J.B. Bury, History of the Later Roman Empire , Volume I, Dover Publications, 1958, p.333].
    • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

    ^ Perhaps "Later Romania" ( Romania Posterior, Recentior ) would be better, like the Later Han Dynasty -- making the Empire into the "Former Romania" ( Romania Prior ), like the Former Han Dynasty .
    • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

    .Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.^ Or, Donald M. Nicol [ Byzantium and Venice, a Study in Diplomatic and Cultural Relations , Cambridge University Press, 1999, p.
    • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

    ^ The Varangians of Byzantium by Sigfús Blöndal and Benedikt S. Benedikz, Cambridge University Press, 1978, 1981, 2007].
    • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

    ISBN 0521243270.
  • Antonio Santosuosso, Storming the Heavens: Soldiers, Emperors and Civilians in the Roman Empire, Westview Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8133-3523-X

External links



Wiktionary

Up to date as of January 14, 2010

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents

English

Pronunciation

  • RP: IPA: /ˈɹəʊmən ˈɛmpaɪə/
  • GenAm: IPA: /'ɹoʊmən ˈɛmpaɪɚ/

Proper noun

Wikipedia-logo.png
Wikipedia has an article on:
Singular
Roman Empire
Plural
-
  1. An empire that used to exist between 85 BC and AD 476; it encompassed territories stretching from Britain and Germany to North Africa and the Persian Gulf;

Synonyms

Translations


Genealogy

Up to date as of February 01, 2010

From Familypedia

.Editing of this article by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled. If you are prevented from editing this article, and you wish to make a change, please discuss changes on the talk page, request unprotection, or log in.^ Thank you for requesting to manage this page.
  • holy roman empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.mahalo.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ You are not currently logged in.
  • Cambridge Histories Online : The Early Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC histories.cambridge.org [Source type: Academic]
  • Cambridge Histories Online : The Early Roman Empire: Consumption 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC histories.cambridge.org [Source type: Academic]
  • Cambridge Histories Online : The Early Roman Empire: Production 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC histories.cambridge.org [Source type: Academic]

^ You can disable user accounts.

Template:Aut[1]
Roman Empire
27 BC – 476
Motto
Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR)
Location of Roman Empire
The Roman Empire at its greatest extent.
Capital Rome
(44 BC – 286 AD)

Milan
(286–402)

Trier
(295–395)

Ravenna
(402–476)

Nicomedia
(286–330)

Constantinople
(From 330)

Sirmium
(293–379)

Language(s) Latin (imperial), Greek (administrative)
Religion Roman paganism, later Christianity
Government Autocracy
Emperor
 - 27 BC – AD 14 Augustus
 - 475–476 Romulus Augustus
Consul
 - 27–23 BC Augustus
 - 476 Basiliscus
Legislature Roman Senate
Historical era Classical antiquity
 - Augustus Caesar proclaimed princeps 27 BC
 - Battle of Actium September 2 31 BC
 - Octavian proclaimed Augustus 16 January 27 BC
 - Diocletian splits imperial administration between east and west 285
 - Constantine I declares Constantinople new imperial capital 330
 - Fall of Constantinople to the Turks 476
Area
 - 25 BC[2][3] 2,750,000 km² (1,061,781 sq mi)
 - 50[2] 4,200,000 km² (1,621,629 sq mi)
 - 117[2] 5,000,000 km² (1,930,511 sq mi)
 - 390 [2] 4,400,000 km² (1,698,849 sq mi)
Population
 - 25 BC[2][3] est. 56,800,000 
     Density 20.7 /km²  (53.5 /sq mi)
 - 117[2] est. 88,000,000 
     Density 17.6 /km²  (45.6 /sq mi)
Currency Solidus, Aureus, Denarius, Sestertius, As
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Roman Republic
Byzantine Empire
Western Roman Empire
Kingdom of Italy
Visigothic Kingdom
Burgundian Kingdom
Vandalic Kingdom
Kingdom of the Sueves
Domain of Soissons
Romano-British Kingdoms
Frankish Empire
.The Roman Empire is the name given to both the imperial domain developed by the city-state of Rome and also the corresponding phase of that civilization, characterized by an autocratic form of government.^ The city’s lands were impounded by the Roman state.

^ The Empire as such, not the City, was the nature of the State.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Roman Empire was a phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by an autocratic form of government.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

This article however is about the latter. .The Roman Empire succeeded the 500-year-old Roman Republic (510 BC – 1st century BC), which had been weakened by the conflict between Gaius Marius and Sulla and the civil war of Julius Caesar against Pompey the Great.^ Legionary , 1st century BC   .

^ It lasted from 510 BC until 23 BC - almost 500 years.
  • Arheologija - History of Roman Empire 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.arheologija.fr.gd [Source type: Original source]

^ Showdown between Caesar and Pompey .

[4]
.The Latin term Imperium Romanum (Roman Empire), probably the best-known Latin expression where the word imperium denotes a territory, indicates the part of the world under Roman rule.^ "Roman Empire" can also be used as translation of the expression, Imperium Romanum , probably the best-known Latin expression where the word imperium is used in the meaning of a territory; the "Roman Empire" denotes that part of the world under Roman rule.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Write the words Roman Empire on the board.
  • http://www.cstone.net/~bcp/3/3AHistory.htm 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.cstone.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Other frontier districts are forcibly pacified in a similar manner, with the result that after ten years of rule Vespasian bequeaths to his son a Roman empire in better order than at any time since the early part of the century.
  • History of THE ROMAN EMPIRE 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.historyworld.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.From the time of Augustus to the Fall of the Western Empire, Rome's dominion covered all of the following: England and Wales; most of Europe (west of the Rhine and south of the Alps); coastal northern Africa, together with the adjacent province of Egypt; the Balkans, the Black Sea, and Asia Minor; and also much of the Levant.^ The Roman empire spanned throughout Europe and Northern Africa.
  • WikiAnswers - Roman Empire Questions including "What is a Roman stabbing sword called" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC wiki.answers.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ From the time of Augustus to the Fall of the Western Empire , Rome dominated Western Eurasia , comprising the majority of its population.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ At its peak, the empire included most of Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East.
  • Ancient Rome 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.42explore2.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Hence the Imperium Romanum subsumed, west-to-east, modern-day Portugal, Spain, England and France, Italy, Albania and Greece, the Balkans, and Turkey; southward it embraced parts of the Middle East: present day Syria, Lebanon, and more; thence southwestward it included the whole of ancient Egypt, then swept westward to contain the coastal regions of what are today Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, out to the longitudes just west of Gibraltar.^ Ararat is just north of the Mesopotamian Valley (the eastern part of modern-day Turkey).
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ We would pass on into Libya, into Tunisia, Algeria, and up into Morocco and then on up into Spain.
  • The Lessons of the Roman Empire for America Today 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.heritage.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Check out: Ancient Greece Ancient Egypt .
  • The Roman Empire 19 September 2009 17:59 UTC www.ancient-rome.biz [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Most of the people living there called themselves Romans, and lived under Roman law.^ Under Roman law, there were three kinds of marriage contracts.
  • Howstuffworks "Rome and the Roman Empire" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history.howstuffworks.com [Source type: Original source]

^ OTHER NOTES: I will call all countries by whichever tribe/people lived there in Roman times, so Toscana becomes the Etruscians, for example.
  • Gibbon's The Decline and Rebirth of the Roman Empire - Paradox Interactive Forums 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC forum.paradoxplaza.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ They lived under their own laws, prayed at their own church and elected their own officers.

.Roman expansion began long before the state was changed into a monarchy and reached its zenith under Emperor Trajan with the conquest of Dacia (i.e., modern Romania and Moldova, as well as parts of Hungary, Bulgaria and Ukraine), in AD 106, and Mesopotamia in 116 (subsequently returned by Hadrian).^ The Roman Empire would reach its greatest extent in 116 ad under the Emperor Trajan.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC webspace.ship.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Then the Emperor quickly changed his mind and returned to his former state of friendship.
  • JORDANES DESCRIBES THE GOTHS' ENTRY AND WANDERINGS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ The empire reached its fullest extent under Trajan (98–117), with the conquest of Dacia in 106.
  • Howstuffworks "Rome and the Roman Empire" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history.howstuffworks.com [Source type: Original source]

.At this territorial peak, the Roman Empire controlled approximately 5,900,000 km² (2,300,000 sq mi) of land surface, and so encompassed the Mediterranean Sea that the Romans called it "mare nostrum"—Latin for "our sea". Rome's influence upon the culture, law, technology, arts, language, religion, government, military, and architecture of the civilizations that arose from this ancient ancestor continues to this day.^ The legacy of Rome on culture, law, technology, arts, language, religion, government, military, and architecture upon Western civilization remains to the present day.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Roman Law, strength of the Roman Government, military supremacy; .

^ The Roman Empire's influence on government, law, architecture, and many other aspects of life remains inescapable.
  • Roman Empire - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Roman Empire? What is Roman Empire? Where is Roman Empire? Definition of Roman Empire. Meaning of Roman Empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.The end of the Roman Empire is sometimes placed at 4 September 476 AD, when the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, Romulus Augustus, was deposed, and not replaced.^ According to Carolingian theory, the Roman Empire had merely been suspended, not ended, by the abdication of the last Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus in 476.

^ They then deposed Romulus Augustus in August 476.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Who was the last emperor to rule a united Roman empire?
  • WikiAnswers - Roman Empire Questions including "What is a Roman stabbing sword called" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC wiki.answers.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.However, Diocletian, who retired in AD 305, was the last sole Emperor of an undivided Empire whose capital was the City of Rome.^ In peacetime, it was relatively easy to rule the empire from its capital city Rome.

^ In peacetime, it was relatively easy to rule the empire from its capital city, Rome.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Who was the last emperor of Rome?
  • WikiAnswers - Roman Empire Questions including "What is a Roman stabbing sword called" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC wiki.answers.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.After the division of the Empire by Diocletian into East and West, each branch continued to style itself as "The Roman Empire". The Western Roman Empire declined and fell apart (see Decline of the Roman Empire) in the course of the 5th century.^ If by the "Roman Empire" you mean the Western Empire then the answer is that it never "fell".
  • What were the key reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire? 19 September 2009 17:59 UTC www.answerbag.com [Source type: General]

^ Western roman empire..
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ At Callinicum the course of the Euphrates is from west to east.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVI 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

The Eastern Roman Empire, centered on Nova Roma (founded by Constantine I on the Greek city of Byzantion), which would later adopt Greek as its main language, known widely today as the Byzantine Empire, preserved Greco-Roman legal and cultural traditions along with Hellenic and Orthodox Christian elements for another millennium, until its eventual collapse with the conquest of Constantinople, as Constantine's city become known, at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1453.

Contents

Evolution of Imperial Rome

.Traditionally, historians make a distinction between the Principate, the period following Augustus until the Crisis of the Third Century, and the Dominate, the period from Diocletian until the end of the empire in the west.^ The third century was a period of crisis and transformation in the history of the empire.

^ That was what historians call "the third century crisis".
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This period of the 3rd century Roman historians refer to as the Crisis of the Third Century.
  • Roman Empire | Arto Bendiken 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC ar.to [Source type: Original source]

.According to this distinction, during the Principate (from the Latin word princeps, meaning "first citizen") the realities of absolutism were formally concealed behind republican forms; while during the Dominate (from the word dominus, meaning "master" or "owner") imperial power was clearly shown, with golden crowns and ornate imperial ritual.^ Legally, he was merely the Princeps , the first citizen, and so this system is called the Principate .
  • The Roman Empire: 18 centuries in 19 maps 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC 4umi.com [Source type: Original source]
  • The Roman Empire:18 centuries in 19 maps 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC hobbit.ict.griffith.edu.au [Source type: Original source]
  • The Roman Empire:18 centuries in 19 maps 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC hobbit.ict.griffith.edu.au [Source type: Original source]

^ According to this distinction, during the Principate (from the Latin word princeps , meaning "first citizen") the realities of absolutism were formally concealed behind Republican forms; while during the Dominate (from the word dominus , meaning "lord") imperial power was clearly shown, with golden crowns and ornate imperial ritual.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Republic was finally dissolved, The imperator was proclaimed pater patriae , father of his country, princeps , first citizen, Caesar Augustus, - almost, but not as yet, divine.

.More recently, historians have established that the situation was far more nuanced: certain historical forms continued until the Byzantine period, more than one thousand years after they were created, and displays of imperial majesty were common from the earliest days of the Empire.^ He did far more than repair it.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVI 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ More recently historians have established that the situation was far more nuanced: certain historical forms continued until the Byzantine period, more than one thousand years after they were created, and displays of imperial majesty were common from the earliest days of the Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Germany in more ways than one.
  • Literature | Literature | Germany and the Holy Roman Empire | theTrumpet.com by the Philadelphia Church of God 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

First emperor

The extent of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in 218 BC (dark red), 133 BC (light red), 44 BC (orange), AD 14 (yellow), after AD 14 (green), and maximum extension under Trajan, AD 117 (light green).
The extent of the Roman Empire under Trajan, AD 117
.No definitive answer exists regarding the identity of the first emperor of Rome.^ It was not long before Octavian went to war against Antony in northern Africa, and after his victory at Actium (31 bc ) he was crowned Rome’s first emperor, Augustus .
  • Roman Empire (ancient state [27 BC-476 AD]) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ Guinness is somber and wise as the aging Aurelius, showing no hint of the emperor's Christian-hating side as he attempts to prepare Rome for its future.
  • The Fall of the Roman Empire - Ask.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.ask.com [Source type: General]

^ The first heathen persecution of Christianity resulted from no definite policy, no apprehension of danger to the body politic, and no definite charges, but from an accidental spark which kindled the conflagration of Rome (July, 64 A.D.).
  • Bible Encyclopedia: Roman 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC bibleencyclopedia.com [Source type: Original source]

.Under a purely technical point of view there is no clear "first emperor", as the title itself was not an official post in the Roman constitutional system—rather, it was an amalgam of separate roles.^ Under a purely technical point of view there is no clear first emperor as the title itself was unknown to the ancient Romans.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So there’s no definite point in which we can say this was when the Roman Empire collapsed.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.geocities.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ At this point there was no turning back...
  • Why Did The Roman Empire Fall? 19 September 2009 17:59 UTC www.trap17.com [Source type: Original source]

.Julius Caesar was a Dictator Perpetuus (dictator for life), which was a highly irregular form of dictator, an official position in the Roman republic.^ Julius Caesar was a Dictator Perpetuus - a life-long dictator , which was a highly irregular form of dictator , an official position in the Roman republic.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Julius Caesar was a dictator of the Roman Republic.
  • WikiAnswers - Roman Empire Questions including "What is a Roman stabbing sword called" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC wiki.answers.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ One of the striking features of Roman life, whether under the Republic or Empire, was that Rome was specifically an urban culture -- Roman civilization depended on the vitality of its cities.
  • Lecture 13: A Brief Social History of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.historyguide.org [Source type: Original source]

.By law, the rule of a dictator would normally never exceed six months.^ According to law, the rule of a dictator would normally never exceed 6 months.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In any case, after six months of good rule.

^ In this way a body of rules was amassed by interpretative adaptation which the authors of the Twelve Tables would never have recognized.
  • Bible Encyclopedia: Roman 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC bibleencyclopedia.com [Source type: Original source]

.The form created by Caesar was therefore quite contrary to the basic principles of the Roman Republic.^ Julius Caesar was a dictator of the Roman Republic.
  • WikiAnswers - Roman Empire Questions including "What is a Roman stabbing sword called" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC wiki.answers.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The form created by Caesar was therefore quite contrary to the basic principles of the Roman Republic.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Julius Caesar was a Dictator Perpetuus - a life-long dictator , which was a highly irregular form of dictator , an official position in the Roman republic.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Nevertheless, officially his authority rested upon this republican title, however irregular it might have been, and therefore he is considered a republican official.^ Nevertheless, officially his authority rested upon this republican title, however irregular it might have been, and therefore he is considered a republican official.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Although Augustus retained the forms of republican government and never took the title of emperor, he is considered Rome's first emperor because he held supreme power and passed his authority on to an heir.
  • Howstuffworks "Rome and the Roman Empire" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history.howstuffworks.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The authority of the Senate or the Imperial Council might constitute a strong practical check upon an Emperor's acts, but if he chose to disregard their views, he could not be accused of acting unconstitutionally.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. I Chap. I 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.At the very least, he pretended to be one.^ At the very least he pretended to be one.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Several senators, among them many former enemies who had been "graciously" pardoned by him, grew fearful that he would crown himself and try to establish a monarchy.^ Several senators, among them many former enemies who had been "graciously" pardoned by him, grew fearful that he would crown himself and try to establish a monarchy.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It is notable that Louis first crowned himself in 814, upon his father's death, but in 816, Pope Stephen V , who had succeeded Leo III, visited Rheims and again crowned Louis.
  • Holy Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Jews of his time felt oppressed by their Roman overlords, and many believed that their God would intervene on behalf of his people by sending a messiah -- a charismatic leader who would drive out the Romans and establish a new Jewish state.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC webspace.ship.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Accordingly, they conspired to assassinate him, and on the Ides of March, 44 BC, the life-long dictator perished under the blades of his assassins.^ Accordingly, they conspired to assassinate him, and on the Ides of March , on the 15th of March 44 BC , the life-long dictator perished under the blades of his assassins before he could be crowned.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ At the onset of 44 BC, the honors given upon Caesar continued and the subsequent rift between him and the aristocrats deepened.
  • Roman Empire 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC professorpage.info [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Isa 41:10 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
  • Revival of Roman Empire: Byzantium IN AAR - Paradox Interactive Forums 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC forum.paradoxplaza.com [Source type: General]

.Octavian, his grand-nephew, adopted son and political heir, learned from the mistake of his predecessor and never claimed the widely feared title dictator, disguising his power under republican forms much more carefully.^ Octavian , his grand-nephew, adopted son and political heir, is widely accepted as the first emperor.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He had learned from the mistake of his predecessor and never claimed the widely feared title dictator , disguising his power under republican forms much more carefully.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The other was Octavian, Caesar’s grand-nephew and heir to his estate.
  • The Story of Mankind - The Roman Empire (Hendrik van Loon) 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.authorama.com [Source type: Original source]

.All this was intended to foster the illusion of a restoration of the Republic.^ All this was intended to foster the illusion of a restoration of the Republic.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.He received several titles like Augustus—"the elevated one", and Princeps—translated as "first citizen of the Roman republic" or as "first leader of the Roman Senate". The latter had been a title awarded for those who had served the state well; Pompey had held that title.^ Also gives him the titles of Augustus and princeps (first citizen).
  • 6.2 - The Roman Empire 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.slideshare.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Theoretically, Augustus was princeps, or first citizen among equals, and legally the empire was still a republic.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC hubpages.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ For years, Roman Emperors adorned themselves, or had the Senate adorn them, with the title Augustus.
  • The rise and fall of the Roman Empire | Red Room 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.redroom.com [Source type: Original source]

.In addition, Augustus (as he was named thereafter) was granted the right to wear the Civic Crown of laurel and oak.^ Also got to wear a laurel crown.
  • 6.2 - The Roman Empire 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.slideshare.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Octavius was named Octavius Augustus, a name granted to the gods.
  • The rise and fall of the Roman Empire | Red Room 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.redroom.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In addition, Augustus (as he is named thereafter) was granted the right to wear the Civic Crown of laurel and oak.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Officially, however, none of these titles or the Civic Crown granted Augustus any additional powers or authority; he was simply a highly honored Roman citizen who held the consulship.^ However, it must be noted that officially, none of these titles or the Civic Crown, granted Augustus any additional powers or authority; officially he was simply a highly-honored Roman citizen, holding the consulship.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The first title that Charlemagne is known to have used, immediately after his coronation in 800, is “Charles, most serene Augustus, crowned by God, great and pacific emperor, governing the Roman empire.” This clumsy formula, however, was soon discarded.
  • Holy Roman Empire (historical empire, Europe) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ This title, however, was not used by Otto II’s predecessors, from Charlemagne (or Charles I) to Otto I, who simply employed the phrase imperator augustus (“august emperor”) without any territorial adjunct.
  • Holy Roman Empire (historical empire, Europe) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

.Augustus also became Pontifex Maximus after the death of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus in 13 BC. He also received several additional and extraordinary powers without claiming too many titles.^ Death of Severus - His son Carracalla assumes title of Pontifex Maximus .
  • Legion XXIV - Time Line of Imperial Rome 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.legionxxiv.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ He also received several additional and extraordinary powers without claiming too many titles.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Augustus also became Pontifex Maximus after the death of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus in 13 BC .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.In the end, he only needed the authority itself, not all the titles.^ In the end he only needed the authority itself, not necessarily all the respective titles.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Towards the end of the first century the Christians appeared to sever all their ties with the Judaism and established itself independently.

^ The fight ended with all Curiatii dead and only one of the Horatians alive.

From the Republic to the Principate: Augustus (27 BC – AD 14)

Further information: Praetorian GuardImage:Wp_globe_tiny.gifRoman triumphImage:Wp_globe_tiny.gifBattle of the Teutoburg ForestImage:Wp_globe_tiny.gifArminiusImage:Wp_globe_tiny.gif, and Publius Quinctilius VarusImage:Wp_globe_tiny.gif
Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire
.The Battle of Actium resulted in the defeat and subsequent suicides of Mark Antony and Cleopatra.^ In the battle of Actium, Octavian defeated Antony.
  • The Story of Mankind - The Roman Empire (Hendrik van Loon) 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.authorama.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Mark Antony died in 30 BCE. After Octavian had defeated him and Cleopatra in the battle of Actium, they fled back to Alexandria,...
  • WikiAnswers - Roman Empire Questions including "What is a Roman stabbing sword called" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC wiki.answers.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ After the Battle of Actium which resulted in the defeat and subsequent suicides of Mark Antony and Cleopatra , Octavian, now sole ruler of Rome, continued or began a fullscale reformation of military, fiscal and political matters.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Octavian had also executed Cleopatra's young son and co-ruler, Caesarion.^ The late king's crown was transferred by Caesar to his younger brother Ptolemy XIII. But the effective ruler of Egypt henceforth was Cleopatra whom Caesar invested a co-regent.

^ [Sozomen I, xv] This decision by Bishop Alexander in support of his young secretary, Athanasius, is the first authoritative statement that the Son is con-substantial and co-eternal with the Father.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Caesarion, Julius’s son, is killed at age 17 on Octavian’s orders.
  • 6.2 - The Roman Empire 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.slideshare.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Caesarion may have been the (only) son of Julius Caesar.^ Augustus declared himself the son of a god, raising a statue to his adoptive father Julius Caesar on a podium alongside Mars and Venus.
  • Jonathan Freedland: Rome, AD ... Rome, DC? | World news | The Guardian 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.guardian.co.uk [Source type: News]

^ Julius Caesar, the nephew of Marius and son-in-law of Cinna, was courting popularity and steadily rising in power and influence.

^ March 17 Julius Caesar defeats Pompey's sons and Labienus at Munda .
  • Legion XXIV - Time Line of Imperial Rome 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.legionxxiv.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Therefore, by killing Caesarion, Octavian removed any possibility of a male rival emerging with closer blood ties to Julius Caesar.^ The first emperor, Julius Caesar or Octavian?
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Caesarion, Julius’s son, is killed at age 17 on Octavian’s orders.
  • 6.2 - The Roman Empire 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.slideshare.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ After Sulla and Pompey, another great leader has emerged: Julius Caesar will be your strongest asset to finally defeat the dreaded Gauls north and west of the Alps.
  • Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire - Civilization Fanatics' Forums 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC forums.civfanatics.com [Source type: General]

.Octavian, now sole ruler of Rome, began a full-scale reformation of military, fiscal and political matters.^ Octavian sole Ruler of Rome .

^ After the Battle of Actium which resulted in the defeat and subsequent suicides of Mark Antony and Cleopatra , Octavian, now sole ruler of Rome, continued or began a fullscale reformation of military, fiscal and political matters.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ After some political and military developments, Octavian took the province of Africa away from Lepidus and took possession of the Greek-colonized island of Sicilia (modern Sicily).

.These were intended to stabilize and pacify the Roman world and also to cement acceptance of the new regime.^ These reforms were intended to stabilize and to pacify the Roman world and would also cement the acceptance of the new regime.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Details of new amphitheatre sites found across the Roman world will be revealed and the organisation of the spectacles, like gladiatorial combat, will also be examined.

^ To Diocletian, who rescued the Roman world at the brink of the abyss, belongs the credit of having framed a new system of administrative machinery.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. I Chap. I 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Upon Octavian's accession as ruler of the Roman world, the Roman Senate gave Octavian the name Augustus.^ In 286, through the creation of the Tetrarchy, he gave the western part to Maximian as Augustus and named Constantius Chlorus as his subordinate ( Caesar).

^ Roman legend adds a gruesome note, describing how Tullia later returned from the senate, where she had seen her husband confirmed as the new ruler.

^ Establishment of the Empire In 27 B.C. the Roman Senate conferred the title Augustus (majestic) on Octavian for ending the civil strife.
  • Howstuffworks "Rome and the Roman Empire" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history.howstuffworks.com [Source type: Original source]

.He had already adopted the title imperator, "commander-in-chief", as his first name.^ So, while we think of "Augustus" as the name of the first Emperor, it was simply a title, whose import was well remembered by subsequent Emperors.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But he adopted the title of Imperator ,--whence the name Emperor, --a title which, although it carried with it the absolute authority of the commander of the legions, still had clinging to it no odious memories.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Nevertheless, Heraclius is remembered as one of the great soldier-Emperors, the founder of a dynasty that lasted 100 years, the last Emperor to come to the throne from the Latin West, but the first to adopt the Greek title Basileus (rather than Imperator ).
  • The Roman Empire: 18 centuries in 19 maps 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC 4umi.com [Source type: Original source]
  • The Roman Empire:18 centuries in 19 maps 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC hobbit.ict.griffith.edu.au [Source type: Original source]
  • The Roman Empire:18 centuries in 19 maps 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC hobbit.ict.griffith.edu.au [Source type: Original source]

.It was a term that dated back to the days of the Republic and later evolved into emperor.^ At last, Octavian (later to be known as Augustus) defeated his rival Mark Antony and completed this gradual subversion by thoroughly reorganizing the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The term Roman emperor is older, dating from Otto II (died 983).
  • Holy Roman Empire (historical empire, Europe) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.britannica.com [Source type: Reference]

^ A generation later, in 43 BCE, he was a hunted man, proscribed by Antony and Octavian while the Republic collapsed into monarchy.
  • Algora Publishing - Perils of Empire: The Roman Republic and the American Republic 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.algora.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.As adopted heir of Caesar, Augustus preferred to be called by this name.^ His adopted heir, calling himself Augustus Caesar, became first emperor.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC webspace.ship.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Caesar returned to Italy in September, 45 BC, and among his first tasks was to file his will, naming Octavian as his solo heir.
  • Roman Empire 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC professorpage.info [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ In 286, through the creation of the Tetrarchy, he gave the western part to Maximian as Augustus and named Constantius Chlorus as his subordinate ( Caesar).

Caesar was a component of his family name. .Julio-Claudian rule lasted for almost a century (from Julius Caesar in the mid-1st century BC to the emperor Nero in the mid-1st century AD).^ The first emperor, Julius Caesar or Octavian?
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ By the beginning of the 2nd century AD, the economic stagnation of Italia was seen in the provincial-born Emperors, such as Trajan and Hadrian.

^ Syria and Gaul from the Rhine to the Atlantic were added by the campaigns of POMPEY and Julius CAESAR and Egypt was annexed in 31 BC after the Battle of ACTIUM .
  • Roman Empire Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.encyclopedia.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.By the time of the Flavian Dynasty, and the reign of Vespasian, and that of his two sons, Titus and Domitian, the term Caesar had evolved, almost de facto, from a family name into a formal title.^ Domitian, son of Vespasian, 81–96 .
  • Rulers of the Roman Empire: Free Encyclopedia Articles at Questia.com Online Library 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.questia.com [Source type: Academic]

^ Titus, son of Vespasian, 79–81 .
  • Rulers of the Roman Empire: Free Encyclopedia Articles at Questia.com Online Library 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.questia.com [Source type: Academic]

^ The dynasty of Stephan Dushan is followed by two families of princes.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Derivatives of this title (such as czar and kaiser) endure to this day.
.The Roman legions, which had reached an unprecedented number (around 50) because of the civil wars, were reduced to 28. Several legions, particularly those with members of doubtful loyalties, were simply disbanded.^ All the Legions were originally simply numbered.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Roman legions, who had reached an enormous number because of the civil wars, numbering about 60, were reduced to 28.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Several legions, particularly those of doubtful loyalties, were simply disbanded, while others were amalgamated, a fact hinted by the title Gemina - Twin .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

Other legions were amalgamated, a fact hinted by the title Gemina (Twin).[5] .Augustus also created nine special cohorts, ostensibly to maintain the peace in Italy, keeping at least three of them stationed at Rome.^ He also created 9 special cohorts , ostensibly to maintain the peace in Italy, keeping at least 3 of them stationed at Rome.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He stationed garrisons of soldiers nearer together than before throughout Italy, while at Rome he established a camp for the barracks of the praetorian cohorts , which before that time had been quartered in isolated groups in divers lodging houses.
  • Suetonius • Life of Tiberius 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ The Vigiles A further force, the vigiles , also created by Augustus patrolled Rome itself and served as its fire brigade.

.These cohorts became known as the Praetorian Guard.^ These cohorts became known as the Praetorian Guard .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Praetorian Guard was a figurative "sword of Damocles" whose loyalty was bought and who became increasingly greedy.

^ Unlike bodies such as the Praetorian Guard, the Varangians became famed for their loyalty to the emperor, even their willingness to fight to the death to protect him.

.Octavian realized that autocracy and kingship were things that Romans had not experienced for centuries, and were wary of.^ Deep respect for the rules of law, and their systematic observance characterised the Roman autocracy down to the fall of the Empire in the fifteenth century, and was one of the conditions of its long duration.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. I Chap. I 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ (By this time the educated Roman elite believed in one supreme being who created all things and was the source of all reality.

^ The Roman Empire really collapsed in mid 3rd century.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

Octavian did not want to be viewed as a tyrant and sought to retain the illusion of the constitutional republic. .He attempted to make it seem as though the constitution of the Roman Republic was still functional.^ The early days of the Roman republic saw a bitter struggle for independence against Tarquin’s attempts to regain his throne.

^ Haggard, The sound of the rolling lines seemed to make my blood stand still .
  • Mommsen, The History of Old Rome - 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.ellopos.net [Source type: Academic]

^ The Conquest of Britain In the year of 61 BC the Roman republic had conquered Italy, most of the mediterranean and was making serious inroads towards Gaul ...
  • Geometry.Net - Basic_R: Roman Empire Emperors & Famous People 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.geometry.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Even Rome's past dictators, such as the brutal Lucius Cornelius Sulla, had only ruled Rome for short spans of time, never more than a year or two (with the exception of Julius Caesar).^ Rome under Julius Caesar".
  • Jonathan Freedland: Rome, AD ... Rome, DC? | World news | The Guardian 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.guardian.co.uk [Source type: News]

^ He did not even hold the Republican office of Dictator, as Julius Caesar had.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In the last two-thousand years, Rome has been the ruling power.
  • The Roman Empire and Its Significance in the End Time 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.biblebelievers.org.au [Source type: Original source]

.In 27 BC, Octavian officially tried to relinquish all his extraordinary powers to the Roman Senate.^ In 27 BC , Octavian officially tried to relinquish all his extraordinary powers back to the Roman Senate.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Finally, on 29 May 1453, all the titles and powers of the Roman Emperor were transferred to Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, following his entry into Constantinople.
  • The Eastern Roman Empire by Turgut �zal 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.sullivan-county.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The civil wars of 49-30 BC ended with this absolute power in the hands of Octavian, great-nephew and heir of Caesar.

.In a carefully staged way, the senators, who by this time were mostly his partisans, refused and begged him to keep them for the sake of the republic and the people of Rome.^ In a carefully staged way the senators, who by this time were mostly his partisans, refused and begged him to continue for the sake of the republic and the people of Rome.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Stilicho for the fall as he (another German General in Command) seemed to want to let Alaric (who eventually sacked Rome) live every time that he defeated him or had him cornered (several times) .
  • Imperial Rome and the USA [Archive] - AppleInsider 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC forums.appleinsider.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Who was the Roman ruler held the title of dictator or absolute ruler at the time of his assassination by members of the Senate?
  • WikiAnswers - Roman Empire Questions including "What is a Roman stabbing sword called" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC wiki.answers.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Reportedly, the suggestion of Octavian stepping down as consul led to rioting amongst the Plebeians in Rome.^ Reportedly, the suggestion of Octavian's stepping down as consul led to rioting amongst the Plebeians in Rome.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In 450 B.C., the plebeians succeeded in having the laws of Rome codified and written down in a compilation called the Twelve Tables.
  • Howstuffworks "Rome and the Roman Empire" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history.howstuffworks.com [Source type: Original source]

.A compromise was reached between the Senate and Octavian, known as the First Settlement.^ A compromise was reached between the Senate and Octavian, known as the First Settlement .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The First Servile War in Sicily (134-132 B.C.).-- With the opening of this period we find a terrible struggle going on in Sicily between masters and slaves,--what is known as the First Servile War.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ At this point, however, it was still far from certain that a compromise between Catholics and Lutherans could not be reached.

.This agreement gave Augustus legitimacy as an autocrat of the people, and ensured that he would not be considered a tyrant, starting the long period that would be known as Pax Romana.^ As far as is known, no other state has had a continuous existence for this long; the nearest would perhaps be Japan (arguably since about 400 A.D.).
  • The Roman Empire: 18 centuries in 19 maps 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC 4umi.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Augustus: September 23, 63 BC - August 19, AD 14), known as Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (English Octavian) for the period of...
  • WikiAnswers - Roman Empire Questions including "What is a Roman stabbing sword called" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC wiki.answers.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ (Augustus) Tell the students that the rule of Emperor Augustus marked the beginning of a long period of stability which became known as the Pax Romana, which means Roman peace .
  • http://www.cstone.net/~bcp/3/3AHistory.htm 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.cstone.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Octavian split with the Senate the governorships of the provinces.^ Octavian split with the Senate the governorships of the provinces.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.The unruly provinces at the borders, where the vast majority of the legions were stationed, were administrated by imperial legates, chosen by the emperor himself.^ The "unruly" provinces at the borders, where the vast majority of the legions were stationed, were administrated by imperial legates, chosen by the emperor himself.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But by the end of the fourth century this new imperial guard mustered twenty four vexillations of cavalry (five hundred each), twenty-five legions (a thousand each) and one hundred and eight auxiliary troops (five hundred each), stationed all around the empire at the major cities.

^ The princes attempted to remove the administration of the empire from the emperor and put it in the hands of an imperial council; the council would control all external and internal affairs of the empire.
  • Holy Roman Empire Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Holy Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.encyclopedia.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
  • Holy Roman Empire: Free Encyclopedia Articles at Questia.com Online Library 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.questia.com [Source type: Academic]

.These provinces were classified as imperial provinces.^ These provinces were classified as Imperial province s.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.The governors of the peaceful senatorial provinces were chosen by the Senate.^ The governors of the peaceful Senatorial province s were chosen by the Senate.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The revenue of the Senatorial provinces continued to be sent to the Aerarium , under the supervision of the Senate.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Roman Senators renamed: Cardinals Roman Governors renamed: Archbishops Roman Senator with no territory: Bishop (Code of Canon Law 376) (Large) Roman Province renamed: Archdiocese (Small) Roman Territory renamed: Diocese .
  • The Hierarchy of the Roman Empire/Catholic Church - Let's Roll Forums 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC letsrollforums.com [Source type: Original source]

.These provinces were usually peaceful and only a single legion was stationed in the senatorial province of Africa.^ These provinces were usually peaceful and only a single legion was stationed at the Senatorial province of Africa .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It was dependent on tax revenues from stable, peaceful provinces for the ongoing support of legions and frontier troops from the Euphrates to the North Sea.
  • Albion's Seedlings: Heather -- The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC anglosphere.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
  • Chicago Boyz » Blog Archive » Heather — The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC chicagoboyz.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ The "unruly" provinces at the borders, where the vast majority of the legions were stationed, were administrated by imperial legates, chosen by the emperor himself.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

The Battle of Actium, by Lorenzo A. Castro, 1672.
.Before the Senate controlled the treasury, Augustus had mandated that the taxes of the Imperial provinces be destined to the Fiscus, which was administrated by persons chosen by, and answerable only to, Augustus.^ Before the Senate controlled the treasury, Augustus had mandated that the taxes of the Imperial provinces were destined to the Fiscus , which was administrated by persons chosen and answerable only to Augustus.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Some of the Imperial laws took the form (we do not know on what principle) of "Orations to the Senate," and were read aloud before that body.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. I Chap. I 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ The "unruly" provinces at the borders, where the vast majority of the legions were stationed, were administrated by imperial legates, chosen by the emperor himself.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.The revenue of the senatorial provinces continued to be sent to the Aerarium, under the supervision of the Senate.^ The revenue of the Senatorial provinces continued to be sent to the Aerarium , under the supervision of the Senate.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The governors of the peaceful Senatorial province s were chosen by the Senate.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ His associates he sent to rule the provinces were so corrupt that he soon alienated the Senate.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.This effectively made Augustus richer than the Senate, and more than able to pay the salarium (salary) of the legionaries, ensuring their continued loyalty.^ This effectively made Augustus richer than the Senate, and more than able to pay the salarium - salary of the legionaries , ensuring their continued loyalty.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It may be declared to be the first system of religious thought--for it was a religion more than a philosophy--which made a serious study of the diseases of the human soul.
  • NETBible: Roman Empire And Christianity, 1 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC net.bible.org [Source type: Original source]

^ A talk, anyway, can be longer and more effective than a post, mostly because the people listening to you are not distracted by the infinite distractions of an internet connection.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.This was ensured by the Imperial province of Roman Egypt, which was incredibly wealthy and also the most important grain supplier for the whole empire.^ This province was incredibly wealthy and also the most important corn supplier for the whole empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Map of Roman Empire   Clicable provinces .

^ Egypt was henceforth a province of the Roman state.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Senators were forbidden to even visit this province, as it was largely considered the personal fiefdom of the emperor himself.^ Senators were forbidden to even visit this province, as it was largely considered the personal fiefdom of the emperor himself.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He restored a few territories to the Roman Empire and even recognized Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus as his suzerain (hence the large stippled area in the above map).

^ The "unruly" provinces at the borders, where the vast majority of the legions were stationed, were administrated by imperial legates, chosen by the emperor himself.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

Roman trade with India according to the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, 1st century AD.
.Augustus renounced his consulship in 23 BC, but retained his consular imperium, leading to a second compromise between Augustus and the Senate known as the Second Settlement.^ A compromise was reached between the Senate and Octavian, known as the First Settlement .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Augustus renounced his consulship in 23 BC , but retained his consular imperium, leading to a second compromise between Augustus and the Senate known as the Second Settlement .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Augustus: September 23, 63 BC - August 19, AD 14), known as Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (English Octavian) for the period of...
  • WikiAnswers - Roman Empire Questions including "What is a Roman stabbing sword called" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC wiki.answers.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Augustus was granted the authority of a tribune (tribunicia potestas), though not the title, which allowed him to convene the Senate and people at will and lay business before it, veto the actions of either the Assembly or the Senate, preside over elections, and gave him the right to speak first at any meeting.^ Also gives him the titles of Augustus and princeps (first citizen).
  • 6.2 - The Roman Empire 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.slideshare.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Senate continues granting him greater powers and authority.
  • 6.2 - The Roman Empire 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.slideshare.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Augustus was granted the authority of a tribune (tribunicia potestas), though not the title, which allowed him to convene the Senate and people at will and lay business before it, veto the actions of either the Assembly or the Senate, preside over elections, and gave him the right to speak first at any meeting.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Also included in Augustus's tribunician authority were powers usually reserved for the Roman censor; these included the right to supervise public morals and scrutinize laws to ensure they were in the public interest, as well as the ability to hold a census and determine the membership of the Senate.^ Also included in Augustus' tribunician authority were powers usually reserved for the Roman censor; these included the right to supervise public morals and scrutinize laws to ensure they were in the public interest, as well as the ability to hold a census and determine the membership of the Senate.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They were interested in public affairs and well conditioned in athletic endeavors.
  • The rise and fall of the Roman Empire | Red Room 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.redroom.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Article Nine Hereditary Sovereign Chancellor and Grand Master of the Imperial Order, holds, bears and enjoys full power and authority over all members.
  • Nobility of the Holy Roman Empire - Part One 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC almanachdegotha.org [Source type: Reference]

.No tribune of Rome ever had these powers, and there was no precedent within the Roman system for consolidating the powers of the tribune and the censor into a single position, nor was Augustus ever elected to the office of Censor.^ No tribune of Rome ever had these powers, and there was no precedent within the Roman system for combining the powers of the tribune and the censor into a single position, nor was Augustus ever elected to the office of Censor.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Also included in Augustus' tribunician authority were powers usually reserved for the Roman censor; these included the right to supervise public morals and scrutinize laws to ensure they were in the public interest, as well as the ability to hold a census and determine the membership of the Senate.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He harassed and cajoled the Latin League into accepting Rome as its official head (the so-called ‘Treaty of Ferentia’), thereby tying the Latins into the Roman military machine, effectively doubling Rome’s military power in a single stroke.

.Whether censorial powers were granted to Augustus as part of his tribunician authority, or he simply assumed these responsibilities, is still a matter of debate.^ Whether censorial powers were granted to Augustus as part of his tribunician authority, or he simply assumed these responsibilities, is still a matter of debate.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Also included in Augustus' tribunician authority were powers usually reserved for the Roman censor; these included the right to supervise public morals and scrutinize laws to ensure they were in the public interest, as well as the ability to hold a census and determine the membership of the Senate.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ However, it must be noted that officially, none of these titles or the Civic Crown, granted Augustus any additional powers or authority; officially he was simply a highly-honored Roman citizen, holding the consulship.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.In addition to tribunician authority, Augustus was granted sole imperium within the city of Rome itself; all armed forces in the city, formerly under the control of the praefects, were now under the sole authority of Augustus.^ In addition to tribunician authority, Augustus was granted sole imperium within the city of Rome itself; all armed forces in the city, formerly under the control of the praefects, were now under the sole authority of Augustus.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The only thing setting Octavian Caesar apart from his predecessors was that he had been granted imperium for life, and that he had been styled " Augustus " (revered one).
  • The Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC web.raex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ In Rome, more than a hundred inscriptions dedicated to Mithras have been found, in addition to 75 sculpture fragments, and a series of Mithraic temples situated in all parts of the city.
  • LacusCurtius • Mithraism: an essay by David Fingrut 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Additionally, Augustus was granted imperium proconsulare maius (power over all proconsuls), the right to interfere in any province and override the decisions of any governor.^ Additionally, Augustus was granted imperium proconsulare maius - power over all proconsuls , the right to interfere in any province and override the decisions of any governor.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ You should once more defeat all odds, grant citizenship to the Italians and crush Pontus and the remaining power at your eastern borders.
  • Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire - Civilization Fanatics' Forums 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC forums.civfanatics.com [Source type: General]

^ The only thing setting Octavian Caesar apart from his predecessors was that he had been granted imperium for life, and that he had been styled " Augustus " (revered one).
  • The Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC web.raex.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.With maius imperium, Augustus was the only individual able to grant a triumph to a successful general as he was ostensibly the leader of the entire Roman army.^ With maius imperium, Augustus was the only individual able to grant a triumph to a successful general as he was ostensibly the leader of entire Roman army.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ At a factory near Millau in the Massif Central , for example, slaves mass-produced pottery for the western half of the Roman Empire, including the entire Roman army.
  • Roman France - Finding the Traces Left by an Empire - NYTimes.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC travel.nytimes.com [Source type: General]

^ At the Battle of Callinicus, which took place some 3 miles from Larissa ( Larisa ), the entire Roman consular force was put to rout by the army of Perseus.

.All of these reforms were highly unusual in the eyes of Roman republican tradition, but the Senate was no longer composed of the republican patricians who had the courage to murder Caesar.^ No longer was he creative but submissive to the Caesar-god of the Roman Empire.
  • The Eastern Roman Empire by Turgut �zal 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.sullivan-county.com [Source type: Original source]

^ All these reforms were highly abnormal in the eyes of Roman republican tradition, but the Senate was no longer composed of republican patricians who had had the courage to murder Caesar.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Both the logic and language of the Edict of Milan are likewise highly traditional: the safety and prosperity of the Roman Empire depended on the proper worship of all the gods.
  • Rulers of the Roman Empire: Free Encyclopedia Articles at Questia.com Online Library 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.questia.com [Source type: Academic]

.Most of these senators had died in the Civil Wars, and the leaders of the conservative Republicans in the senate, such as Cato and Cicero, had long since died.^ One of these, the Ottomans, gained a foothold in Europe in 1354, as supporters of one faction in a civil war.
  • The Roman Empire: 18 centuries in 19 maps 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC 4umi.com [Source type: Original source]
  • The Roman Empire:18 centuries in 19 maps 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC hobbit.ict.griffith.edu.au [Source type: Original source]
  • The Roman Empire:18 centuries in 19 maps 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC hobbit.ict.griffith.edu.au [Source type: Original source]

^ Most notably they guarded the Sibylline Books and it was for them to consult these scriptures and interpret them when requested to do so by the senate.

^ We have written often about how most of the Nazi leaders escaped after World War ii through the Vatican “ratlines.” That is a well-documented truth.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Literature | Literature | Germany and the Holy Roman Empire | theTrumpet.com by the Philadelphia Church of God 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

.Octavian had purged the Senate of any remaining suspect elements and planted the body with his own partisans.^ Octavian had purged the Senate of any suspect elements and planted it with his own partisans.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ January 13, Octavian makes the gesture of returning command of the state to the Senate and the people of Rome, receiving in return vast provinces and most of the army as his own.

.How free a hand the Senate had in all these transactions, and what backroom deals were made, remains unknown.^ How free a hand the Senate had in all these transactions, and what backroom deals were made, remains unknown.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Antichrist Appears Considering all these things, there certainly is a question that remains.
  • The Terry James Gang 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.raptureme.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The image of a free constitution was preserved with decent reverence: the Roman senate appeared to possess the sovereign authority, and devolved on the emperors all the executive powers of government.
  • Best of Gibbon's DECLINE & FALL 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.his.com [Source type: Original source]

.Attempting to secure the borders of the empire upon the rivers Danube and Elbe, Octavian ordered the invasions of Illyria, Moesia, and Pannonia (south of the Danube), and Germania (west of the Elbe).^ Attempting to secure the borders of the empire upon the rivers Danube and Elbe , Octavian ordered the invasions of Illyria , Moesia , and Pannonia (south of the Danube), and Germania (west of the Elbe).
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The rivers Rhine and Danube became the borders of the Roman empire in the North.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ You have to realize that there was a little problem: the Roman Empire was a vast region running from Britain in the West to Iraq in the East; from the Rhine and the Danube to the Sahara.
  • Inflation and the Fall of the Roman Empire - Joseph R. Peden - Mises Institute 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC mises.org [Source type: Original source]

.At first everything went as planned, but then disaster struck.^ At first everything went as planned, but then disaster struck.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Illyrian tribes revolted and had to be crushed, and three full legions under the command of Publius Quinctilius Varus were ambushed and destroyed at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9 by German barbarians under the leadership of Arminius.^ The Illyrian tribes revolted and had to be crushed, and three full legions under the command of Publius Quinctilius Varus were ambushed and destroyed at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9 by German barbarians under the leadership of Arminius .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Germany proved more trouble than it was worth when three legions (about 15 000 men) were ambushed and annihilated in the Tutoburger forest in 9 AD. The frontier was pulled back to the Rhine, but elsewhere modest expansion continued under the Julio-Claudian dynasty.
  • The Roman Empire: 18 centuries in 19 maps 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC 4umi.com [Source type: Original source]
  • The Roman Empire:18 centuries in 19 maps 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC hobbit.ict.griffith.edu.au [Source type: Original source]
  • The Roman Empire:18 centuries in 19 maps 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC hobbit.ict.griffith.edu.au [Source type: Original source]

^ AD Three Legions (XVII-XVIII-XVIX, 25,000) under Varus, wiped-out in Tuetoburger Vald (forest) in Germany by Cherusci forces (30,000+) under command of Arminius Herrman - Varus commits suicide and the Roman Frontier is pulled-back to the Rhine River .
  • Legion XXIV - Time Line of Imperial Rome 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.legionxxiv.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Being cautious, Augustus secured all territories west of Rhine and contented himself with retaliatory raids.^ Being cautious, Augustus secured all territories west of Rhine and contented himself with retaliatorial raids.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ When Gaius and Lucius died within three years, he was adopted by Augustus along with their brother Marcus Agrippa, being himself first compelled to adopt his nephew Germanicus.
  • Suetonius • Life of Tiberius 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Meanwhile, Augustus had secured the Rhine-Danube frontier, and Claudius conquered most of Britain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The rivers Rhine and Danube became the permanent borders of the Roman empire in the North.^ The rivers Rhine and Danube became the borders of the Roman empire in the North.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ You have to realize that there was a little problem: the Roman Empire was a vast region running from Britain in the West to Iraq in the East; from the Rhine and the Danube to the Sahara.
  • Inflation and the Fall of the Roman Empire - Joseph R. Peden - Mises Institute 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC mises.org [Source type: Original source]

^ You have to realize that there is a little problem: the Roman Empire was a vast region running from Britain in the west to Iraq, Mesopotamia in the east; from the Rhine and the Danube to the Sahara.
  • Roman Empire | Arto Bendiken 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC ar.to [Source type: Original source]

Sources

.The age of Augustus is far more poorly documented than the late Republican period that preceded it.^ He did far more than repair it.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVI 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ The Age of Augustus is paradoxically far more poorly documented than the Late Republican period that preceded it.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If it can be affirmed, with any degree of truth, that the luxury of the Romans was more shameless and dissolute in the reign of Theodosius than in the age of Constantine, perhaps, or of Augustus, the alteration cannot be ascribed to any beneficial improvements which had gradually increased the stock of national riches.
  • Best of Gibbon's DECLINE & FALL 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.his.com [Source type: Original source]

.While Livy wrote his magisterial history during Augustus's reign and his work covered all of Roman history through 9 BC, only epitomes survive of his coverage of the late Republican and Augustan periods.^ While Livy wrote his magisterial history during Augustus's reign and his work covered all of Roman history through 9 BC , only epitome s survive of his coverage of the Late Republican and Augustan periods.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Much more material has survived regarding this period of Roman history.

^ E Longest reign in Roman History to date .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Important primary sources for this period include:
.Though primary accounts of this period are few, works of poetry, legislation and engineering from this period provide important insights into Roman life.^ Though primary accounts of this period are few, works of poetry, legislation and engineering from this period provide important insights into Roman life.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Covers every aspect of Roman life and history; however there is very little information on Christians during this period.
  • Ancient Rome Unit Study and Timeline by Cindy Downes - Oklahoma Homeschool 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC www.oklahomahomeschool.com [Source type: General]

^ Western Roman Empire Eastern Roman Empire Following the death of Jovian, the empire fell again into a new period of civil war similar to the Crisis of the Third Century.

.Archaeology, including maritime archaeology, aerial surveys, epigraphic inscriptions on buildings, and Augustan coinage, has also provided valuable evidence about economic, social and military conditions.^ Archaeology, including maritime archaeology , aerial surveys , epigraphic inscriptions on buildings, and Augustan coinage , has also provided valuable evidence about economic, social and military conditions.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It is the social and economic conditions which must be changed.
  • Goldsmith: The fall of the Roman empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.edwardgoldsmith.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This course offers a comprehensive survey, taking in political, social, economic and cultural history, with a particular emphasis on religious developments.

.Secondary sources on the Augustan Age include Tacitus, Dio Cassius, Plutarch and Lives of the Twelve Caesars by Suetonius.^ Secondary sources on the Augustan Age include Tacitus , Dio Cassius , Plutarch and Lives of the Twelve Caesars by Seutonius .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This webpage reproduces one of The Lives of the Twelve Caesars by C. Suetonius Tranquillus published in the Loeb Classical Library, 1913 The text is in the public domain.
  • Suetonius • Life of Tiberius 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Domitian, the last of the "twelve Caesars" (Suetonius), was assassinated September 18, 96 AD. The soldiers amid civil war had elected the last dynasty.
  • NETBible: Roman Empire And Christianity, 1 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC net.bible.org [Source type: Original source]

.Josephus's Jewish Antiquities is the important source for Judea in this period, which became a province during Augustus's reign.^ Josephus 's Jewish Antiquities is the important source for Judea in this period, which became a province during Augustus' reign.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For an empire which embraced the Mediterranean shores, the sea was an important means of intercommunication; and the Mediterranean routes were safer for commerce and travel at that period than during any previous one.
  • NETBible: Roman Empire And Christianity, 1 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC net.bible.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Intrinsically one of the most interesting and important periods in Roman history, the Tetrarchy unfortunately suffers from the relative poverty of the sources we have for it.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Julio-Claudian Dynasty (14–68)

Main article: Julio-Claudian dynasty
.Template:Roman government Augustus had three grandsons by his daughter Julia.^ At first, indications pointed toward his sister's son Marcellus , who had been married to Augustus's daughter Julia .
  • Roman Empire - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Roman Empire? What is Roman Empire? Where is Roman Empire? Definition of Roman Empire. Meaning of Roman Empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ While it seems natural and obvious to take Augustus as the successor to Julius Caesar and his new Imperial government as the successor to the Roman Republic, there was another way of looking at this.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Their three immediate successors were all descended both from the gens Claudia, through Tiberius's brother Nero Claudius Drusus , and from gens Julia, either through Julia the Elder , Augustus' daughter from his first marriage ( Caligula and Nero ), or through Augustus' sister Octavia Minor ( Claudius ).
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

None of the three lived long enough to succeed him. .He therefore was succeeded by his stepson Tiberius, the son of his wife Livia from her first marriage.^ Augustus, leaving no sons, was succeeded by his stepson Tiberius , the son of his wife Livia from her first marriage.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Claudius died in 54 A.D. He was probably poisoned by Agrippina II, his niece and third wife, who wished to secure the succession for Nero, her son by a former marriage.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC hubpages.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ All descendants of Augustus's wife Livia and her first husband, a member of the Claudian family, they were adopted into the Julian family by Augustus.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC hubpages.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Augustus was a scion of the gens Julia (the Julian family), one of the most ancient patrician clans of Rome, while Tiberius was a scion of the gens Claudia, only slightly less ancient than the Julians.^ Augustus was a scion of the gens Julia (the Julian family), one of the most ancient patrician clans of Rome , while Tiberius was a scion of the gens Claudia , only slightly less ancient than the Julians.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Most books written for children about Ancient Rome cover the same topics but in a different order; therefore, you can use any children's book(s) on Ancient Rome that you are able to acquire for this unit.
  • Ancient Rome Unit Study and Timeline by Cindy Downes - Oklahoma Homeschool 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC www.oklahomahomeschool.com [Source type: General]

^ A few years later, the Roman general Germanicus, nephew of Emperor Tiberius, went back to Teutoburg with no less than eight legions.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.Their three immediate successors were all descended both from the gens Claudia, through Tiberius's brother Nero Claudius Drusus, and from gens Julia, either through Julia the Elder, Augustus's daughter from his first marriage (Caligula and Nero), or through Augustus's sister Octavia Minor (Claudius).^ Their three immediate successors were all descended both from the gens Claudia, through Tiberius's brother Nero Claudius Drusus , and from gens Julia, either through Julia the Elder , Augustus' daughter from his first marriage ( Caligula and Nero ), or through Augustus' sister Octavia Minor ( Claudius ).
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The rest either died in battle or were assassinated, which was totally unprecedented in Roman history — with two exceptions: Nero, a suicide, and Caligula, assassinated earlier.
  • Inflation and the Fall of the Roman Empire - Joseph R. Peden - Mises Institute 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC mises.org [Source type: Original source]

^ This union produced five children (three sons and two daughters): Gaius Caesar , Lucius Caesar , Julia the Younger , Agrippina the Elder , and Postumus Agrippa (so named because he was born after Marcus Agrippa died).
  • Roman Empire - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Roman Empire? What is Roman Empire? Where is Roman Empire? Definition of Roman Empire. Meaning of Roman Empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

Historians thus refer to their dynasty as "Julio-Claudian".

Tiberius (14–37)

Main article: Tiberius
.The early years of Tiberius's reign were peaceful and relatively benign.^ The early years of Tiberius' reign were peaceful and relatively benign.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Throughout his long reign of twenty-three years the Empire was in a state of profound peace.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ For several hundred years, during the early imperial period, these boundaries were relatively stable.
  • Albion's Seedlings: Heather -- The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC anglosphere.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
  • Chicago Boyz » Blog Archive » Heather — The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC chicagoboyz.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Tiberius secured the overall power of Rome and enriched its treasury.^ Tiberius secured the power of Rome and enriched its treasury.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Tiberius secured the power of Rome and enriched the treasury.
  • Roman Empire - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Roman Empire? What is Roman Empire? Where is Roman Empire? Definition of Roman Empire. Meaning of Roman Empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.However, Tiberius's reign soon became characterized by paranoia and slander.^ However, Tiberius's reign soon became characterized by paranoia and slander.
  • Roman Empire - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Roman Empire? What is Roman Empire? Where is Roman Empire? Definition of Roman Empire. Meaning of Roman Empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ However, Tiberius' reign soon became characterized by paranoia and slander.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ His designs, however, became known to Tiberius, and the infamous and disloyal minister was arrested and put to death.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.In 19, he was widely blamed for the death of his nephew, the popular Germanicus.^ In 19 , he was widely blamed for the death of his nephew, the popular Germanicus .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In 19 , he was blamed for the death of his nephew, the popular Germanicus .
  • Roman Empire - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Roman Empire? What is Roman Empire? Where is Roman Empire? Definition of Roman Empire. Meaning of Roman Empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.In 23 his own son Drusus died.^ In 23 his own son Drusus died.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In 23, his own son Drusus died.
  • Roman Empire - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Roman Empire? What is Roman Empire? Where is Roman Empire? Definition of Roman Empire. Meaning of Roman Empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ When Claudius died, he was immediately succeeded by Nero, Agrippina’s own son – who then engaged Locusta to prepare a poison for his younger half-brother, Britannicus.

.More and more, Tiberius retreated into himself.^ More and more, Tiberius retreated into himself.
  • Roman Empire - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Roman Empire? What is Roman Empire? Where is Roman Empire? Definition of Roman Empire. Meaning of Roman Empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The flattery of the term dominos is the more marked because Tiberius himself shrank from it; cf.
  • Suetonius • Life of Tiberius 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.He began a series of treason trials and executions.^ He began a series of treason trials and executions.
  • Roman Empire - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Roman Empire? What is Roman Empire? Where is Roman Empire? Definition of Roman Empire. Meaning of Roman Empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.He left power in the hands of the commander of the guard, Lucius Aelius Sejanus.^ He left power in the hands of the commander of the guard, Aelius Sejanus .
  • Roman Empire - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Roman Empire? What is Roman Empire? Where is Roman Empire? Definition of Roman Empire. Meaning of Roman Empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Tiberius himself retired to live at his villa on the island of Capri in 26, leaving administration in the hands of Sejanus, who carried on the persecutions with relish.^ Sejanus carried on the persecutions with relish.
  • Roman Empire - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Roman Empire? What is Roman Empire? Where is Roman Empire? Definition of Roman Empire. Meaning of Roman Empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Tiberius himself retired to live at his villa on the island of Capri in 26, leaving administration in the hands of Sejanus, who carried on the persecutions with relish.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Tiberius himself retired to live at his villa on the island of Capri in 26, leaving Sejanus in charge.
  • Roman Empire - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Roman Empire? What is Roman Empire? Where is Roman Empire? Definition of Roman Empire. Meaning of Roman Empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Sejanus also began to consolidate his own power; in 31 he was named co-consul with Tiberius and married Livilla, the emperor's niece.^ Sejanus also began to consolidate his own power; in 31 he was named co-consul with Tiberius and married Livilla, the emperor's niece.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The last Western Emperor really worthy of the name was probably Majorian, who was a military man in his own right and operated with success in Gaul and Spain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Zeitgesits Mistakes, Errors or Intentional Falsehoods: Zeitgeist then lists the different Nations or Powers or Principalities, along with the names of their own "Savior" e.g.
  • The Hierarchy of the Roman Empire/Catholic Church - Let's Roll Forums 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC letsrollforums.com [Source type: Original source]

.At this point he was "hoisted by his own petard": the emperor's paranoia, which he had so ably exploited for his own gain, was turned against him.^ At this point, he was hoist by his own petard ; the Emperor's paranoia, which he had so ably exploited for his own gain, was turned against him.
  • Roman Empire - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Roman Empire? What is Roman Empire? Where is Roman Empire? Definition of Roman Empire. Meaning of Roman Empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ At this point he was "hoist by his own petard ": the Emperor's paranoia, which he had so ably exploited for his own gain, was turned against him.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But he was an Emperor with popular support and his reputation survived in Romano-British tradition and gained him a place in the Mabinogion , compiled about a thousand years after his death.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Sejanus was put to death, along with many of his associates, the same year.^ Sejanus was put to death, along with many of his cronies, the same year.
  • Roman Empire - Discussion and Encyclopedia Article. Who is Roman Empire? What is Roman Empire? Where is Roman Empire? Definition of Roman Empire. Meaning of Roman Empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.knowledgerush.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Not a day passed without an execution, not even those that were sacred and holy; for he put some to death even on New Year's day.
  • Suetonius • Life of Tiberius 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ The writers were at once put to death and their works destroyed, although they had been read with approval in public some years before in the presence of Augustus himself.
  • Suetonius • Life of Tiberius 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

The persecutions continued until Tiberius's death in 37.

Caligula (37–41)

Main article: Caligula
.At the time of Tiberius's death most of the people who might have succeeded him had been brutally murdered.^ At the time of Tiberius' death most of the people who might have succeeded him had been brutally murdered.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ By violent means he succeeded in carrying a measure in an assembly of the people whereby the command was taken away from Sulla and given to him.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ His children were daughters; he bestowed the rank of Caesar on his son-in‑law Musele, and a son, who succeeded him as Michael III, was born later.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. I Chap. I 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.The logical successor (and Tiberius's own choice) was his grandnephew, Germanicus's son Gaius (better known as "Caligula" or "little boots").^ The will began thus: "Since a cruel fate has bereft me of my sons Gaius and Lucius, be Tiberius Caesar heir to two-thirds of my estate."
  • Suetonius • Life of Tiberius 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Julian, whose own writings have been preserved, is one of the better known but stranger figures of the century.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ By Germanicus he had three grandsons, Nero, Drusus, and Gaius, and by Drusus one, called Tiberius.
  • Suetonius • Life of Tiberius 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Caligula started out well, by putting an end to the persecutions and burning his uncle's records.^ Caligula started out well, by putting an end to the persecutions and burning his uncle's records.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But after he had been thrown from the car and put back in it, he was unable to hold out and gave up before the end of the course; but he received the crown just the same.
  • Suetonius • Life of Nero 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
  • Bible Resources of the church of Christ 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC christianresources.i8.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Unfortunately, he quickly lapsed into illness.^ Unfortunately, he quickly lapsed into illness.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Caligula that emerged in late 37 demonstrated features of mental instability that led modern commentators to diagnose him with such illnesses as encephalitis, which can cause mental derangement, hyperthyroidism, or even a nervous breakdown (perhaps brought on by the stress of his position).^ The Caligula that emerged in late 37 demonstrated features of mental instability that led modern commentators to diagnose him with such illnesses as encephalitis , which can cause mental derangement, hyperthyroidism , or even a nervous breakdown (perhaps brought on by the stress of his position).
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Secular Late Antiquity thus gets ignored and bypassed -- perhaps from a disinclination to admit that it even existed -- without this motivated by any admiration for Chistianity.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So severe had his own losses been, he famously commented that one more such victory would lose him the war.

.Whatever the cause, there was an obvious shift in his reign from this point on, leading his biographers to think he was insane.^ Whatever the cause, there was an obvious shift in his reign from this point on, leading his biographers to think him insane.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As Lecky points out, no emperor could have survived an effort to eliminate the more obvious causes of social and ecological degradation.
  • Goldsmith: The fall of the Roman empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.edwardgoldsmith.com [Source type: Original source]

.Most of what history remembers of Caligula comes from Suetonius, in his book Lives of the Twelve Caesars.^ Secondary sources on the Augustan Age include Tacitus , Dio Cassius , Plutarch and Lives of the Twelve Caesars by Seutonius .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This webpage reproduces one of The Lives of the Twelve Caesars by C. Suetonius Tranquillus published in the Loeb Classical Library, 1913 The text is in the public domain.
  • Suetonius • Life of Tiberius 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Augustan History 4:1 in Lives of the Later Caesars tr.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.According to Seutonius, Caligula once planned to appoint his favorite horse Incitatus to the Roman Senate.^ Suetonius reported a rumour that Caligula planned to appoint his favourite horse Incitatus to the Roman Senate.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Caligula: Supposedly the most deranged Roman emperor of all, Caligula executed people indiscriminately, sent his troops on nonsensical maneuvers, and famously invited his favorite horse to dinner and planned to make him consul.

^ Once realizing that all was lost his spurred on his horse and charged a Roman cohort.

.He ordered his soldiers to invade Britain to fight the Sea God Neptune, but changed his mind at the last minute and had them pick sea shells on the northern end of France instead.^ He ordered his soldiers to invade Britain to fight the Sea God Neptune , but changed his mind at the last minute and had them pick sea shells on the northern end of France instead.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The usurper Constantine (407-411) stripped Britain of legions in order to invade Gaul and seize the Throne.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He instituted the Roman Catholic church and though he later changed his mind, as President of the First Nicea Council, it was Constantine who decided God was a trinity.
  • The Roman Empire and Its Significance in the End Time 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.biblebelievers.org.au [Source type: Original source]

.It is believed he carried on incestuous relations with his sisters.^ It is believed he carried on incest uous relations with his sisters.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.He ordered a statue of himself to be erected in the Temple at Jerusalem, which would have undoubtedly led to revolt had he not been dissuaded from this plan by his friend king Herod.^ He ordered a statue of himself to be erected in the Temple at Jerusalem , which would have undoubtedly led to revolt had he not been dissuaded from this plan by his friend king Herod .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As noted above , when the treasures taken by Titus from Herod's Temple in Jerusalem were recovered from the Vandals in 533, they were sent back to Constantinople.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ After defeating the Alamanni in Lower Moesia, in the east he tricked Osroeni king Abgarus to visit as a friend and imprisoned him in order to subdue the Osroene in 216.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.He ordered people to be secretly killed, and then called them to his palace.^ He ordered people to be secretly killed, and then called for them to his palace.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.When they did not appear, he would jokingly remark that they must have committed suicide.^ When they did not appear, he would jokingly remark that they must have committed suicide.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Their Priests would still give "the mass" as they did to the Pagan Roman Churches, but with all of the new names for the old pagan gods and false resurrection of Osiris.
  • The Hierarchy of the Roman Empire/Catholic Church - Let's Roll Forums 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC letsrollforums.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Knowing that further warfare would rout his army, he was forced to retreat after his “Pyrrhic Victory.” He did return in 275 B.C., but the legions were too strong and they repelled him.
  • The rise and fall of the Roman Empire | Red Room 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.redroom.com [Source type: Original source]

.In 41, Caligula was assassinated by the commander of the guard Cassius Chaerea.^ He was succeeded by Caligula (37–41), who became noted for his acts of cruelty and was assassinated by his own guards.
  • Howstuffworks "Rome and the Roman Empire" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history.howstuffworks.com [Source type: Original source]

.The only member of the imperial family left to take charge was his uncle, Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus.^ The only member of the imperial family left to take charge was his uncle, Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But when Claudius became emperor, Nero not only recovered his father's property, but was also enriched by an inheritance from his stepfather, Passienus Crispus.
  • Suetonius • Life of Nero 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Even at the outset of his military career his excessive love of wine gave him the name of Biberius, instead of Tiberius, Caldius for Claudius, and Mero for Nero.
  • Suetonius • Life of Tiberius 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

Claudius (41–54)

Main article: Claudius
.Claudius had long been considered a weakling and a fool by the rest of his family.^ Claudius had long been considered a weakling and a fool by the rest of his family.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Claudius had long been considered a ridiculous figure, but he proved to be a good ruler along the lines established by Augustus.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC hubpages.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.He was, however, neither paranoid like his uncle Tiberius, nor insane like his nephew Caligula, and was therefore able to administer the empire with reasonable ability.^ So, Tiberius adopted his semi-grandnephew Caligula, which is Latin (or Italian) for "murderously insane inhuman monster wearing cute little booties ".
  • Roman Empire - Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC uncyclopedia.wikia.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The resultant society, however, was still reasonably stable and probably would have lasted a very long time if it had not been for Rome's expansionist policies, which led to the establishment of the Empire.
  • Goldsmith: The fall of the Roman empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.edwardgoldsmith.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Tiberius CLAUDIUS Nero Germanicus - Emperor (Julio-Claudian) Uncle of Caligula .
  • Legion XXIV - Time Line of Imperial Rome 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.legionxxiv.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.He improved the bureaucracy and streamlined the citizenship and senatorial rolls.^ He improved the bureaucracy and streamlined the citizenship and senatorial rolls.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.He also proceeded with the conquest and colonization of Britain (in 43), and incorporated more Eastern provinces into the empire.^ He also proceeded with the conquest and colonization of Britain (in 43 ), and incorporated more Eastern provinces into the empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ A divided government for the empire proved practical, and the separation into Eastern (Byzantine) and Western (Roman) division later became permanent.
  • Howstuffworks "Rome and the Roman Empire" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history.howstuffworks.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Under Claudius (41-54 A.D.) the Roman Empire added its last major territory with the conquest of Britain.
  • How Excessive Government Killed Ancient Rome 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.cato.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.He ordered the construction of a winter port for Rome, at Ostia, thereby providing a place for grain from other parts of the Empire to be brought in inclement weather.^ He ordered the construction of a winter port for Rome, at Ostia, thereby providing a place for grain from other parts of the Empire to be brought in inclement weather.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He proceeded to occupy Egypt, thereby cutting off Rome's vital grain supply.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC hubpages.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Rome provided first-class heavy infantry in the form of legionaries, but in other types of fighting they were not so adept.

.In his own family life, Claudius was less successful.^ In his own family life, Claudius was less successful.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.His wife Messalina cuckolded him; when he found out, he had her executed and married his niece, Agrippina the Younger.^ His wife Messalina cuckold ed him; when he found out, he had her executed and married his niece, Agrippina the younger .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ When his mother was recalled from banishment and reinstated, he became so prominent through her influence that it leaked out that Messalina, wife of Claudius, had sent emissaries to strangle him as he was taking his noonday nap, regarding him as a rival of Britannicus.
  • Suetonius • Life of Nero 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Claudius is credited with insatiable sex drive and many affairs (e.g., Dio 40.2.5-6), and again, his wife - Messalina - procured mistresses for him (Dio 40.18.3); Nero put married women into brothels (Suet.

.She, along with several of his freedmen, held an inordinate amount of power over him, and although there are conflicting accounts about his death, she may very well have poisoned him in 54. Claudius was deified later that year.^ She, along with several of his freedmen, held an inordinate amount of power over him, and although there are conflicting accounts about his death, she may very well have poisoned him in 54 .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For several years the anxious piece held.

^ Claudius was deified later that year.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.The death of Claudius paved the way for Agrippina's own son, the 17-year-old Lucius Domitius Nero.^ The death of Claudius paved the way for Agrippina's own son, the 17-year-old Lucius Domitius Nero.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Claudius died in 54 A.D. He was probably poisoned by Agrippina II, his niece and third wife, who wished to secure the succession for Nero, her son by a former marriage.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC hubpages.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Following Gratian's death, Maximus had to deal with Valentinian II, actually only 12 years old, as the senior Augustus.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

Nero (54–68)

Main article: Nero
.Nero ruled from 54 to 68. During his rule, Nero focused much of his attention on diplomacy, trade, and increasing the cultural capital of the empire.^ A very poor excuse for an "empire," Trebizond spent much of its existence in vassalage to the Mongols and Turks who ruled the plateau behind it.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Because John lived during the rule of the Roman Empire when he wrote the book of Revelation, he had little to say about the three previous kingdoms.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ After Nero, the empire was torn by civil wars; during one year, 69, four different emperors ruled.
  • Howstuffworks "Rome and the Roman Empire" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history.howstuffworks.com [Source type: Original source]

He ordered the building of theatres and promoted athletic games. .His reign included a successful war and negotiated peace with the Parthian Empire (58–63), the suppression of the British revolt (60–61) and improving cultural ties with Greece.^ The protracted negotiations required to bring just some of this area together in the European Community put the success of this Empire into perspective.
  • Roman Empire « Medievalists.net 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.medievalists.net [Source type: Original source]

^ Throughout his long reign of twenty-three years the Empire was in a state of profound peace.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Theodosius led a successful campaign against the Visigoths, forced them to sue for peace, and proceeded to Thessalonica (a city in northeastern Greece) at the end of the year.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.Nero, though, is remembered as a tyrant and the emperor who "fiddled while Rome burned" in 64. A military coup drove Nero into hiding.^ Who was the last emperor of Rome?
  • WikiAnswers - Roman Empire Questions including "What is a Roman stabbing sword called" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC wiki.answers.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Nero played the fiddle while his city burned.
  • The rise and fall of the Roman Empire | Red Room 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.redroom.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He cited Nero and Domitian as examples of cruel tyrants who persecuted Christians, whereas the noble Marcus Aurelius put the law aside and condemned their accusers.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.Facing execution at the hands of the Roman Senate, he reportedly committed suicide in 68. His last words were, "What an artist dies in me."^ In 65 A.D., Nero discovered a plot against him and retaliated by executing many prominent Romans or, as in the case of his old mentor Seneca, by driving them to suicide.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC hubpages.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Last Struggle of the Republic at Philippi (42 B.C.); the Roman World in the Hands of Antony and Octavius.-- The friends of the old Republic and the enemies of the triumvirs were meanwhile rallying in the East.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ His policy was on the whole adhered to by the Julio-Claudian line, the last of which was Nero (died 68 A.D.).
  • Bible Encyclopedia: Roman 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC bibleencyclopedia.com [Source type: Original source]

Rebellions

.In peacetime it was relatively easy to manage the empire from its capital city, Rome.^ In peacetime, it was relatively easy to rule the empire from its capital city, Rome.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Indeed, Herrin's book would seem to represent the flip side of the "Rome is the City of Rome" school of historiography, with an equal and opposite proposition that "Byzantium is the Empire of Byzantium."
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It was whispered at Rome, and not without truth, that he proposed to make Alexandria the capital of the Roman world, and announce Cæsarean, son of Julius Cæsar and Cleopatra, as the heir of the Empire.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Rebellions were expected to occur from time to time: a general or a governor would gain the loyalty of his officers through a mixture of personal charisma, promises and simple bribes.^ An eventual rebellion was expected and would happen from time to time: a general or a governor would gain the loyalty of his officers through a mixture of personal charisma, promises and simple bribes.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ At this time, soldiers started showing great loyalty to their generals.
  • 6.2 - The Roman Empire 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.slideshare.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ While the religion of the Ghassanids in general would be expected to be a unifying factor with respect to Rome, there developed a difficulty.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.A conquered tribe would rebel, or a conquered city would revolt.^ A conquered tribe would rebel, or a conquered city would revolt.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.This would be a bad, but not a catastrophic, event.^ This would be a bad, but not a catastrophic event.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Roman legions were spread around the borders, and the rebel leader would—in normal circumstances—have only one or two legions under his command.^ The Roman legion s were spread around the borders and the rebel leader would in normal circumstances have only one or two legions under his command.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In normal circumstances this would be quite enough.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In 12 B.C., Augustus, at the height of his power, commanded his legions to build a highway that would traverse the province of Gallia Narbonensis, or southern Gaul, the last of whose unruly tribes had only recently been subdued.
  • Via Aurelia: The Roman Empire's Lost Highway | History & Archaeology | Smithsonian Magazine 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.smithsonianmag.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Loyal legions would be detached from other points of the empire, and would eventually drown the rebellion in blood.^ Loyal legions would be detached from other points of the empire and would eventually drown the rebellion in blood.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ An eventual rebellion was expected and would happen from time to time: a general or a governor would gain the loyalty of his officers through a mixture of personal charisma, promises and simple bribes.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But though these two empires were so alike in several points and the one had done so much to prepare the way for the other, yet the contrast was too great to allow conciliation.
  • Bible Encyclopedia: Roman 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC bibleencyclopedia.com [Source type: Original source]

.This happened even more easily in cases of a small local native uprising, as the rebels would normally have no great military experience.^ This happened even more easily in cases of a small local native uprising as the rebels would normally have no great military experience.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ There was no need for such a word; no more than there is in the case of any African tribe.
  • Goldsmith: The fall of the Roman empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.edwardgoldsmith.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Nothing is more easily refuted, for had it been the jealousy of the Jews Clement would not have hesitated one moment to say so.
  • Bible Encyclopedia: Roman 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC bibleencyclopedia.com [Source type: Original source]

.Unless the emperor was weak, incompetent, hated, and/or universally despised, these rebellions would be a local and isolated event.^ Unless the emperor was weak, incompetent, hated, and/or universally despised, these rebellions would be a local and isolated event.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ [Sozomen VII, xv] When the local officials found they were unable to suppress this rebellion, they appealed to the emperor.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In any event, he would now use these circumstances to claim that he was the renewer of the Western Roman Empire, which had expired in 476.

.During real wartime however, which could develop from a rebellion or an uprising, like the massive Jewish rebellion, this was totally and dangerously different.^ During real wartime however, which could develop from a rebellion or an uprising, like the massive Jewish rebellion , this was totally and dangerously different.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Thus, there had been little real danger since the early second century; however, the lurking fear remained and was exploited by Roman politicians.

^ Hadrian's army crushed a massive Jewish uprising in Judea (132-135) led by Bar Kokhba .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.In a full-blown military campaign, the legions under the command of the generals like Vespasian were of a much greater number.^ In a full-blown military campaign , the legions under the command of the generals like Vespasian were of a much greater number.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Illyrian tribes revolted and had to be crushed, and three full legions under the command of Publius Quinctilius Varus were ambushed and destroyed at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9 by German barbarians under the leadership of Arminius .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Their rule in general followed the traditions of Septimius Severus in an attempt to maintain an efficient and economically stable government at home, but Alexander was unsuited to military command.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC hubpages.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Therefore a paranoid or wise emperor would hold some members of the general's family as hostages, to make certain of the latter's loyalty.^ Therefore a paranoid or wise emperor would hold some members of the general's family as hostages , to make certain of the latter's loyalty.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So he won't have your head chopped off right away, as other emperors would, but he asks you, "But why, wise druid, do you say that?"
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If the emperor was near the border in the East, chances were high that an ambitious general would rebel in the West and vice-versa .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.In effect, Nero held Domitian and Quintus Petillius Cerialis the governor of Ostia, who were respectively the younger son and the brother-in-law of Vespasian.^ In effect, Nero held Domitian and Quintus Petillius Cerialis the governor of Ostia , who were respectively the younger son and the brother-in-law of Vespasian.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Claudius died in 54 A.D. He was probably poisoned by Agrippina II, his niece and third wife, who wished to secure the succession for Nero, her son by a former marriage.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC hubpages.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ He cited Nero and Domitian as examples of cruel tyrants who persecuted Christians, whereas the noble Marcus Aurelius put the law aside and condemned their accusers.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.In normal circumstances this would be quite enough.^ In normal circumstances this would be quite enough.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Roman legion s were spread around the borders and the rebel leader would in normal circumstances have only one or two legions under his command.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In normal circumstances the only conceivable answer to that question would have been the Emperor at Constantinople; but the imperial throne was at this moment occupied by Irene.

.In fact, the rule of Nero ended with the revolt of the Praetorian Guard who had been bribed in the name of Galba.^ In fact, the rule of Nero ended with the revolt of the Praetorian Guard who had been bribed in the name of Galba .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ There are however those who claim that the Praetorian guard, rather than being a body of select men, were merely an army drawn from Italy, rather than from the provinces.

^ In fact, since the death of Theodorius, the emperors of Rome ruled in name only.
  • Goldsmith: The fall of the Roman empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.edwardgoldsmith.com [Source type: Original source]

.It became all too obvious that the Praetorian Guard was a sword of Damocles, whose loyalty was all too often bought and who became increasingly greedy.^ It became all too obvious that the Praetorian Guard was a sword of Damocles , whose loyalty was all too often bought and who became increasingly greedy.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ There are however those who claim that the Praetorian guard, rather than being a body of select men, were merely an army drawn from Italy, rather than from the provinces.

^ Unlike bodies such as the Praetorian Guard, the Varangians became famed for their loyalty to the emperor, even their willingness to fight to the death to protect him.

.Following their example the legions at the borders would also increasingly participate in the civil wars.^ Following their example the legions at the borders would also increasingly participate in the civil war s.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ A Laconic Message; End of the Civil War.-- Cæsar, who had followed Pompey to Egypt, was detained there nine months in settling a dispute respecting the throne.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ All too often the local generals would rebel, starting a new civil war.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.This was a dangerous development as this would weaken the whole Roman Army.^ This was a dangerous development as this would weaken the whole Roman Army.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Roman army would also start facing recruiting problems.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Marcus Aurelius , who was Roman enough for any scholar, took a whole tribe of barbarians, the Iazygians (who had fought with Germans but were actually Iranian), into the Roman army.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The main enemy in the West were, arguably, the "barbarian tribes" beyond the Rhine and the Danube.^ The main enemy in the West were, arguably, the "barbarian tribes" behind the Rhine and the Danube .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ You have to realize that there was a little problem: the Roman Empire was a vast region running from Britain in the West to Iraq in the East; from the Rhine and the Danube to the Sahara.
  • Inflation and the Fall of the Roman Empire - Joseph R. Peden - Mises Institute 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC mises.org [Source type: Original source]

^ The troubles of AD 69 had led to barbarian invasions on the Rhine frontier and the Danube which Vespasian repelled.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC hubpages.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Augustus had tried to conquer them, but ultimately failed and these "barbarians" were greatly feared.^ Augustus had tried to conquer them, but ultimately failed and these "barbarians" were greatly feared.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ All of these mannerisms of his, which were disagreeable and signs of arrogance, were remarked by Augustus, who often tried to excuse them to the senate and people by declaring that they were natural failings, and not intentional.
  • Suetonius • Life of Tiberius 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.But by and large they were left in peace, in order to fight amongst themselves, and were simply too divided to pose a serious threat.^ But by and large they were left in peace, in order to fight amongst themselves, and were simply too divided to pose a serious threat.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ While there is enough physical evidence left to distinguish various types of prisons, the sources themselves do not identify which type of prison they were discussing, or provide enough description to visualize its dimensions.
  • Roman Empire « Medievalists.net 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.medievalists.net [Source type: Original source]

^ Some among the Carthaginian aristocracy had sought to prevent him achieving this position as they saw him as dire threat to peace.

The empire of Parthia, the arch-rival of Rome, at its greatest extent (c. 60 BC), superimposed over modern borders.
.In the East lay the empire of Parthia (Persia).^ In the East lay the empire of Parthia ( Iran ).
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For Rome, with its institutions of power lay in the west, whilst to the east lay the wealthiest regions of the empire.

.Crassus, a member of the First Triumvirate during the late republic, attempted an invasion in 53 BC, but was defeated by Persian forces led by Surena in the Battle of Carrhae.^ Crassus , a member of the First Triumvirate during the late republic, attempted an invasion in 53 BC , but was defeated by Persian forces led by Surena in the Battle of Carrhae .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Having defeated the Persian commander Mihr-Narseh, he foiled his opponent’s attempt to ravage Mesopotamia, and laid siege to the enemy at Nisibis.
  • Roman Empire « Medievalists.net 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.medievalists.net [Source type: Original source]

^ What is commonly known as the First Triumvirate rested on the genius of Cæsar, the wealth of Crassus, and the reputation of Pompey.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Any Parthian invasion was confronted and usually defeated, but the threat itself was ultimately impossible to destroy.^ Any Parthian invasion was confronted and usually defeated, but the threat itself was ultimately impossible to destroy.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Severus defeated the Parthians in western Mesopotamia, and he was in Britain planning an invasion of Scotland when he died in 211 A.D. .
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC hubpages.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Parthia would eventually become Rome's greatest rival and foremost enemy.^ Parthia would eventually become Rome's greatest rival and foremost enemy.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The empire of Parthia , the arch-rival of Rome, at its greatest extent, c.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Rome would hence be the arbiter to whom rival states would henceforth turn to settle disputes.

.In the case of a Roman civil war these two enemies would seize the opportunity to invade Roman territory in order to raid and plunder.^ In the case of a Roman civil war these two enemies would seize the opportunity to invade Roman territory in order to raid and plunder.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Cimbri and Teutones invade Roman territories 113 Cn.

^ In some conquests the Romans simply felt that the locals were too barbarous and set about Romanizing the countryside and establishing towns where Romans would live and barbarians would either have to "civilize" or live in squalor.
  • Septimius Severus - the Barack Obama of the Roman Empire? | MetaFilter 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.metafilter.com [Source type: Original source]

.The two respective military frontiers became a matter of major political importance because of the high number of legions stationed there.^ The two respective military frontiers became a matter of major political importance due to the high number of legions stationed there.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Military discipline was soon restored to a high level, and the Goth, perceiving that the cowardice and sloth of former princes was ended, became afraid.
  • JORDANES DESCRIBES THE GOTHS' ENTRY AND WANDERINGS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ In a full-blown military campaign , the legions under the command of the generals like Vespasian were of a much greater number.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.All too often the local generals would rebel, starting a new civil war.^ All too often the local generals would rebel, starting a new civil war.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Their Priests would still give "the mass" as they did to the Pagan Roman Churches, but with all of the new names for the old pagan gods and false resurrection of Osiris.
  • The Hierarchy of the Roman Empire/Catholic Church - Let's Roll Forums 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC letsrollforums.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Following their example the legions at the borders would also increasingly participate in the civil war s.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.To control the western border from Rome was easy, as it was relatively close.^ To control the western border from Rome was easy, as it was relatively close.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In peacetime, it was relatively easy to rule the empire from its capital city, Rome.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This rendered the Arabian border and Arabia less important for Rome as a means of circumventing Persian control of the silk trade.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.To control both frontiers, at the same time, during wartime, was somewhat more difficult.^ To control both frontiers, at the same time, during wartime, was somewhat more difficult.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Both parts of the one empire did not collapse at about the same time.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It was no longer enough to be a good administrator; emperors were increasingly near the troops in order to control them and no single Emperor could be at the two frontiers at the same time.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.If the emperor was near the border in the East, chances were high that an ambitious general would rebel in the West and vice versa.^ If the emperor was near the border in the East, chances were high that an ambitious general would rebel in the West and vice-versa .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ All too often the local generals would rebel, starting a new civil war.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In 400 the borders of the Roman Empire in the West, by then distinct from the Empire in the East which was governed from Constantinople, stood reasonably firm.
  • Roman Empire « Medievalists.net 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.medievalists.net [Source type: Original source]

.It was no longer enough to be a good administrator; emperors were increasingly near the troops in order to control them and no single Emperor could be at the two frontiers at the same time.^ It was no longer enough to be a good administrator; emperors were increasingly near the troops in order to control them and no single Emperor could be at the two frontiers at the same time.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Rome could no longer rely on a regular supply of legionaries from the simple sturdy country population.

^ The paid, professional Army of the Late Empire was no longer a citizen army, and it could not simply be expanded rapidly with drafts of civilians.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.This problem would plague the ruling emperors time and time again and many future emperors would follow this path to power.^ This problem would plague the ruling emperors time and time again and many future emperors would follow this path to power.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Emperors were effectively civil servants by the time of Marcus Aurelius (MA) therefore it is predictable that an appointee of the elite would be a stoic philosopher.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It was most improbable that the papacy, the powers and the Lutherans would combine in a measure so palpably advantageous to the emperor.
  • Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire - LoveToKnow 1911 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.1911encyclopedia.org [Source type: Original source]

Year of the Four Emperors (68–69)

Main article: Year of the Four Emperors
.The forced suicide of emperor Nero, in 68, was followed by a brief period of civil war (the first Roman civil war since Antony's death in 31 BC) known as the "year of the four emperors". Between June 68 and December 69, Rome witnessed the successive rise and fall of Galba, Otho and Vitellius until the final accession of Vespasian, first ruler of the Flavian dynasty.^ A rapid succession of rulers follows, almost each new ruler bringing a new dynasty.
  • NETBible: Roman Empire And Christianity, 1 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC net.bible.org [Source type: Original source]
  • Bible Encyclopedia: Roman 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC bibleencyclopedia.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The year 68-69 A.D. saw several Emperors, or would-be Emperors.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC hubpages.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ After the bloody civil wars of 68, "the year of the four emperors," Vespasian founded the IInd Dynasty, and dynastic succession was for the present again adopted.
  • NETBible: Roman Empire And Christianity, 1 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC net.bible.org [Source type: Original source]
  • Bible Encyclopedia: Roman 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC bibleencyclopedia.com [Source type: Original source]

.This period of civil war has become emblematic of the cyclic political disturbances in the history of the Roman Empire.^ This period of civil war has become emblematic of the cyclic political disturbances in the history of the Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Interactive Map of the Roman Empire from resourcesforhistory.com * The Tabula Peutingeriana , a Medieval copy of a Roman map of the Roman Empire * Rome Unleashed - Roman History Link * www.roman-empire.net An extensive site on the Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The third century was a period of crisis and transformation in the history of the empire.

.The military and political anarchy created by this civil war had serious implications, such as the outbreak of the Batavian rebellion.^ The military and political anarchy created by this civil war had serious implications, such as the outbreak of the Batavian rebellion .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He has such a small force, however ( Legio II Isaura & Legio III Isaura -- Legio I Isaura Sagittaria was with the Mobile Army of the East), the rebellions cannot have been too serious.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Such altenatives, however, only exist because people like Arbogast and Ricimer had already held military power without the formal political power.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Flavian (69–96)

Main article: Flavian Dynasty
.The Flavians, although a relatively short-lived dynasty, helped restore stability to an empire on its knees.^ The Flavians, although a relatively short-lived dynasty, helped restore stability to an empire on its knees.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The preeminence of Attic culture and literature favored by the short-lived Athenian empire raised this dialect to a standard among the Greek peoples.
  • Bible Encyclopedia: Roman 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC bibleencyclopedia.com [Source type: Original source]

.Although all three have been criticized, especially based on their more centralized style of rule, they issued reforms that created a stable enough empire to last well into the 3rd century.^ Although all three have been criticized, especially based on their more centralized style of rule, they issued reforms that created a stable enough empire to last well into the 3rd century.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ By 610, the Classical Roman Empire had fallen into the rule of the Greeks and evolved into what modern historians now call the Middle Age Byzantine Empire , although the Empire was never called that way by its contemporaries (rather it was called Romania or Basileia Romaion).
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ James ODonnells magnificent new book takes us back to the sixth century and the last time the Empire could be regarded as a single community.
  • Profile Books :: The Ruin of the Roman Empire :: James J. O’Donnell 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.profilebooks.com [Source type: General]

.However, their background as a military dynasty led to further marginalization of the senate, and a conclusive move away from princeps, or first citizen, and toward imperator, or emperor.^ However, their background as a military dynasty led to further marginalization of the senate, and a conclusive move away from princeps , or first citizen, and toward imperator , or emperor.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Republic was finally dissolved, The imperator was proclaimed pater patriae , father of his country, princeps , first citizen, Caesar Augustus, - almost, but not as yet, divine.

^ In addition, he often appeared in full military regalia as an imperator , an affront to the idea of what the Principate-era emperor's power was based upon: the emperor as the princeps .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

Vespasian (69–79)

.Vespasian was a remarkably successful Roman general who had been given rule over much of the eastern part of the Roman Empire.^ Who was the last emperor to rule a united Roman empire?
  • WikiAnswers - Roman Empire Questions including "What is a Roman stabbing sword called" 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC wiki.answers.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Vespasian was a remarkably successful Roman general who had been given rule over much of the eastern part of the Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Eastern roman empire map .
  • RBC12J - Eastern Roman Empire - Civilization Fanatics' Forums 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC forums.civfanatics.com [Source type: General]

.He had supported the imperial claims of Galba, after whose death Vespasian became a major contender for the throne.^ He had supported the imperial claims of Galba , after whose death Vespasian became a major contender for the throne.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This naturally was very rarely done, and if so more for political purposes (ridding oneself of armies who had supported a contender to the throne, etc) then as a purely punitive measure.

.Following the suicide of Otho, Vespasian was able to take control of Rome's winter grain supply in Egypt, placing him in a good position to defeat his remaining rival, Vitellius.^ Following the suicide of Otho , Vespasian was able to take control of Rome's winter grain supply in Egypt, placing him in a good position to defeat his remaining rival, Vitellius.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He proceeded to occupy Egypt, thereby cutting off Rome's vital grain supply.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC hubpages.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Vespasian was able to liberate Rome from the financial burdens placed upon it by Nero's excesses and the civil wars.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.On December 20 69, some of Vespasian's partisans were able to occupy Rome.^ On December 20, 69, some of Vespasian's partisans were able to occupy Rome.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Between June of 68 and December of 69 , Rome witnessed the successive rise and fall of Galba , Otho and Vitellius until the final accession of Vespasian , first ruler of the Flavian dynasty .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Vitellius was murdered by his own troops and, the next day, Vespasian, then sixty years old, was confirmed as Emperor by the Senate.^ Vitellius was murdered by his own troops and, the next day, Vespasian, then sixty years old, was confirmed as Emperor by the Senate.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The guards proclaimed the 13-year-old Gordian III Emperor.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ After the bloody civil wars of 68, "the year of the four emperors," Vespasian founded the IInd Dynasty, and dynastic succession was for the present again adopted.
  • Bible Encyclopedia: Roman 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC bibleencyclopedia.com [Source type: Original source]

.Although Vespasian was considered an autocrat by the senate, he mostly continued the weakening of that body that had been going since the reign of Tiberius.^ Although Vespasian was considered an autocrat by the senate, he mostly continued the weakening of that body that had been going since the reign of Tiberius.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In a carefully staged way the senators, who by this time were mostly his partisans, refused and begged him to continue for the sake of the republic and the people of Rome.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.The degree of the Senate's subservience can be seen from the post-dating of his accession to power, by the Senate, to July 1, when his troops proclaimed him emperor, instead of December 21, when the Senate confirmed his appointment.^ This was typified by his dating his accession to power from July 1 , when his troops proclaimed him emperor, instead of December 21 , when the Senate confirmed his appointment.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If he had not a sufficiently powerful following to render the proclamation effective and was suppressed, he was treated as a rebel; but during the struggle and before the catastrophe, the fact that the Senate or a portion of the army had proclaimed him gave him a presumptive constitutional status which the event might either confirm or annul.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. I Chap. I 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ But Pompey had been an outsider, and despite his victories the Senate did not anoint him full power.
  • The rise and fall of the Roman Empire | Red Room 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.redroom.com [Source type: Original source]

.Another example was his assumption of the censorship in 73, giving him power over the make up the Senate.^ Let's make another example.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Another example was his assumption of the censorship in 73, giving him power over who made up the senate.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But Pompey had been an outsider, and despite his victories the Senate did not anoint him full power.
  • The rise and fall of the Roman Empire | Red Room 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.redroom.com [Source type: Original source]

.He used that power to expel dissident senators.^ He used that power to expel dissident senators.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Also it reduced the power of the tribunes, who until then had been able to use the people's assemblies to by-pass the senate.

.At the same time, he increased the number of senators from 200, at that low level because of the actions of Nero and the year of crisis that followed, to 1,000; most of the new senators coming not from Rome but from Italy and the urban centers within the western provinces.^ At the same time, he increased the number of senators from 200, at that low level due to the actions of Nero and the year of crisis that followed, to 1000; most of the new senators coming not from Rome but from Italy and the urban centers within the western provinces.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He insisted … that his early years in Vienna were absolutely crucial to his career because ‘at that time I formed an image of the world and a view of life which became the foundation for my actions ….
  • Literature | Literature | Germany and the Holy Roman Empire | theTrumpet.com by the Philadelphia Church of God 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Vatican City is a landlocked state within the city of Rome, Italy.
  • The Hierarchy of the Roman Empire/Catholic Church - Let's Roll Forums 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC letsrollforums.com [Source type: Original source]

.Vespasian was able to liberate Rome from the financial burdens placed upon it by Nero's excesses and the civil wars.^ Augustus, upon assuming power had the urgent and difficult task of rationalizing the chaos caused by the divided loyalties of the various armies which survived the civil wars.

^ After the bloody civil wars of 68, "the year of the four emperors," Vespasian founded the IInd Dynasty, and dynastic succession was for the present again adopted.
  • Bible Encyclopedia: Roman 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC bibleencyclopedia.com [Source type: Original source]

^ However, peace did not follow Rome's victory, for civil wars sapped its strength.
  • How Excessive Government Killed Ancient Rome 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.cato.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.To do this, he not only increased taxes, but created new forms of taxation.^ To do this, he not only increased taxes, but created new forms of taxation.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It was also caused by forcing the farmers to pay taxes which they could not afford and also, as we have seen, by creating conditions in which only the largest enterprises could survive.
  • Goldsmith: The fall of the Roman empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.edwardgoldsmith.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This was, of course, a form of taxation; in this case, a tax on cash balances (Bailey 1956).
  • How Excessive Government Killed Ancient Rome 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.cato.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.Also, through his power as censor, he was able to carefully examine the fiscal status of every city and province, many paying taxes based upon information and structures more than a century old.^ Also, through his power as censor, he was able to carefully examine the fiscal status of every city and province, many paying taxes based upon information and structures more than a century old.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Of the seven northern provinces he added five, containing more than half the area of the later United Provinces.
  • Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire - LoveToKnow 1911 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.1911encyclopedia.org [Source type: Original source]

^ For more than five centuries they presided over a multi-ethnic empire that was nearly always at war, if not with neighbors then with rebellious factions within the empire itself.

.Through this sound fiscal policy, he was able to build up a surplus in the treasury and embark on public works projects.^ Through this sound fiscal policy, he was able to build up a surplus in the treasury and embark on public works projects.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ His reputation in the Senate aside, he kept the people of Rome happy through various measures, including donations to every resident of Rome, wild spectacles in the newly finished Colosseum, and continuing the public works projects of his father and brother.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ There was sound reasons for the use of the army in building projects.

.It was he who first commissioned the Amphitheatrum Flavium (Colosseum); he also built a forum whose centerpiece was a temple to Peace.^ It was he who first commissioned the Amphitheatrum Flavium ( Colosseum ); he also built a forum whose centerpiece was a temple to Peace.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ One of the largest Mithraic temples built in Italy now lies under the present site of the Church of St. Clemente, near the Colosseum in Rome.
  • LacusCurtius • Mithraism: an essay by David Fingrut 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ His name was Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus, the son of the very man who had in 179 achieved a lasting peace on the peninsula and whose name was held in high regard by the Spaniards.

.In addition, he allotted sizable subsidies to the arts, creating a chair of rhetoric at Rome.^ In addition, he allotted sizable subsidies to the arts, creating a chair of rhetoric at Rome.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Vespasian was also an effective emperor for the provinces in his decades of office, having posts all across the empire, both east and west.^ Vespasian was also an effective emperor for the provinces in his decades of office, having posts all across the empire, both east and west.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Empire will be divided into West and East.
  • Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire - Civilization Fanatics' Forums 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC forums.civfanatics.com [Source type: General]

^ First of all as we learn from Gibbon, he tried to justify rather apologetically his abolition of the Western Empire, on the grounds that: "The majesty of a sole monarch was sufficient to protect, at the same time, both East and West".
  • Goldsmith: The fall of the Roman empire. 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.edwardgoldsmith.com [Source type: Original source]

.In the west he gave considerable favoritism to Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula, comprising modern Spain and Portugal) in which he granted Latin rights to over three hundred towns and cities, promoting a new era of urbanization throughout the western (formerly barbarian) provinces.^ In the west he gave considerable favoritism to Spain in which he granted Latin right s to over three hundred towns and cities, promoting a new era of urbanization throughout the western (i.e.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As the east coast of Spain was entirely under control of Scipio’s forces, Hasdrubal instead slipped into Gaul at the west coast of the peninsula.

^ Franz, and the family, were granted the right to carry government and personal mail throughout the Holy Roman Empire and Spain.

.Through the additions he made to the Senate he allowed greater influence of the provinces in the Senate, helping to promote unity in the empire.^ Through the additions he made to the Senate he allowed greater influence of the provinces in the Senate, helping to promote unity in the empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ We have managed in a few decades to gain greater influence, through a simple philosophy based on freedom and Democracy, than the Romans had in the course of a Millennium.
  • The rise and fall of the Roman Empire | Red Room 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.redroom.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Roman Senate did not have debates about the appropriateness of conquering certain provinces because it would incorporate racially impure peoples into the Empire.
  • Septimius Severus - the Barack Obama of the Roman Empire? | MetaFilter 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.metafilter.com [Source type: Original source]

.He also extended the borders of the empire on every front, most of which was done to help strengthen the frontier defenses, one of Vespasian's main goals.^ He also extended the borders of the empire on every front, most of which was done to help strengthen the frontier defenses, one of Vespasian's main goals.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ One of the most memorable events of Vespasian's reign was the capture and destruction of Jerusalem.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Eventually, the Diocletian empire went to Constantine, one of the most important men in world history.
  • The rise and fall of the Roman Empire | Red Room 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.redroom.com [Source type: Original source]

.The crisis of 69 had wrought havoc on the army.^ The crisis of 69 had wrought havoc on the army.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.One of the most marked problems had been the support lent by provincial legions to men who supposedly represented the best will of their province.^ One of the most marked problems had been the support lent by provincial legions to men who supposedly represented the best will of their province.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ All of the Flavians had rather poor relations with the Senate, due to their autocratic rule, however Domitian was the only one who encountered significant problems.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ There are however those who claim that the Praetorian guard, rather than being a body of select men, were merely an army drawn from Italy, rather than from the provinces.

.This was mostly caused by the placement of native auxiliary units in the areas they were recruited in, a practice Vespasian stopped.^ This was mostly caused by the placement of native auxiliary units in the areas they were recruited in, a practice Vespasian stopped.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He mixed auxiliary units with men from other areas of the empire or moved the units away from where they were recruited to help stop this.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Inhabiting the Abruzzi (central mountainous area of Italy), they had a reputation of being wild and warlike with strange and archaic religious practices.

.He mixed auxiliary units with men from other areas of the empire or moved the units away from where they were recruited to help stop this.^ He mixed auxiliary units with men from other areas of the empire or moved the units away from where they were recruited to help stop this.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This was mostly caused by the placement of native auxiliary units in the areas they were recruited in, a practice Vespasian stopped.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They no longer took part in the military operations, but hid p119 themselves away as men who had lost their hereditary glory.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVI 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Also, to reduce further the chances of another military coup, he broke up the legions and, instead of placing them in singular concentrations, broke them up along the border.^ Also, to reduce further the chances of another military coup, he broke up the legions and, instead of placing them in singular concentrations, broke them up along the border.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As a unit, a legion was made up of ten cohorts, each of which was further divided into six centuries of eighty men, commanded by a centurion.

^ The Military Oath To be placed on the rolls of the legion, a recruit had to swear the military oath.

.Perhaps the most important military reform he undertook was the extension of legion recruitment from exclusively Italy to Gaul and Hispania, in line with the Romanization of those areas.^ Perhaps the most important military reform he undertook was the extension of legion recruitment from exclusively Italy to Gaul and Spain, in line with the Romanization of those areas.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The fourth century had witnessed the settlement of German peoples, as foederati , bound to military service, on Roman lands in the Balkan peninsula and in Gaul.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. I Chap. I 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Having completed the organization of Gaul, he had now returned to Cisalpine Gaul in northern Italy with one veteran legion.

Titus (79–81)

.Titus, the eldest son of Vespasian, had been groomed to rule.^ Titus, the eldest son of Vespasian, had been groomed to rule.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ After one of the most harassing sieges recorded in history the city was taken by Titus, son of Vespasian.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Domitian , Vespasian's younger son, succeeded Titus and began his reign with a show of concern for the public welfare.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC hubpages.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

.He had served as an effective general under his father, helping to secure the east and eventually taking over the command of Roman armies in Syria and Iudaea, quelling the significant Jewish revolt going on at the time.^ Time did eventually favor the Romans.
  • The rise and fall of the Roman Empire | Red Room 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.redroom.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It is the army of this time which is generally understood as the 'classical' Roman army.

^ He had served as an effective general under his father, helping to secure the east and eventually taking over the command of Roman armies in Syria and Iudaea , quelling the significant Jewish revolt going on at the time.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.He shared the consul for several years with his father and received the best tutelage.^ He shared the consul for several years with his father and received the best tutelage.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Although there was some trepidation when he took office because of his known dealings with some of the less respectable elements of Roman society, he quickly proved his merit, even recalling many exiled by his father as a show of good faith.^ Although there was some trepidation when he took office, due to his known dealings with some of the less respectable elements of Roman society, he quickly proved his merit, even recalling many exiled by his father as a show of good faith.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ At the Battle of Callinicus, which took place some 3 miles from Larissa ( Larisa ), the entire Roman consular force was put to rout by the army of Perseus.

^ Incidentally, we can't rule out that at some moment at the time of the Roman Empire there was something like a "Roman ASPO", maybe "ASPE," the "association for the study of peak empire".
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.However, his short reign was marked by disaster: in 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted in Pompeii, and in 80, a fire destroyed much of Rome.^ However, his short reign was marked by disaster: in 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted in Pompeii , and in 80, a fire decimated much of Rome.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ A year later a fire destroyed much of Rome.
  • The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC hubpages.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Vesuvius, 79; Colosseum dedicated, 80 .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.His generosity in rebuilding after these tragedies made him very popular.^ His generosity in rebuilding after these tragedies made him very popular.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Titus was very proud of his work on the vast amphitheater begun by his father.^ Titus was very proud of his work on the vast amphitheater begun by his father.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It was a period of energetic reforms, in some of which, as in the working out of a new land system, Chosroes was only continuing what his father had begun.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVI 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.He held the opening ceremonies in the still unfinished edifice during the year 80, celebrating with a lavish show that featured 100 gladiators and lasted 100 days.^ He held the opening ceremonies in the still unfinished edifice during the year 80, celebrating with a lavish show that featured 100 gladiator s and lasted 100 days.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ LASCARIDS C. THE LAST DAYS, 1261-1453, 192 years 1.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The boy was only still five or six years old and held no actual authority.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Titus died in 81, at the age of 41 of what is presumed to be illness; it was rumored that his brother Domitian murdered him in order to become his successor, although these claims have little merit.^ Titus died in 81 , at the age of 41 of what is presumed to be illness; it was rumored that his brother Domitian murdered him in order to become his successor, although these claims have little merit.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Due to the random nature of these auxilia units, records on them are rather rare and we hence know little of their composition and order of command, except that their commmander was a praepositus .

^ In his time the gateway was formed by the Arch of Vespasian and Titus, erected by Domitian in 81 A.D. ❦ .
  • Suetonius • Life of Nero 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Whatever the case, he was greatly mourned and missed.^ Whatever the case, he was greatly mourned and missed.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

Domitian (81–96)

Main article: Domitian
.All of the Flavians had rather poor relations with the Senate, because of their autocratic rule, however Domitian was the only one who encountered significant problems.^ All of the Flavians had rather poor relations with the Senate, due to their autocratic rule, however Domitian was the only one who encountered significant problems.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Only the Aetolian League was the only significant ally gained in 200 BC, who put effective troops into the field.

^ He should stand as an example to others to come that is was possible to take Rome by force and rule it, if only one was strong and ruthlessness enough to do what ever deeds were required.

.His continuous control as consul and censor throughout his rule; the former his father having shared in much the same way as his Julio-Claudian forerunners, the latter presenting difficulty even to obtain, were unheard of.^ His continuous control as consul and censor throughout his rule; the former his father having shared in much the same way as his Julio-Claudian forerunners, the latter presenting difficulty even to obtain, were unheard of.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The former carried on in much the same vein as Coriolanus and many proud and arrogant patricians, whereas the latter tried to steady the ship of state at a tumultuous time.

^ The great Carthaginian controlled much of southern Italy, but dotted throughout this territory were Roman fortresses, prepared to hold out and hindering his ability to manoeuvre.

.In addition, he often appeared in full military regalia as an imperator, an affront to the idea of what the Principate-era emperor's power was based upon: the emperor as the princeps.^ In addition, he often appeared in full military regalia as an imperator , an affront to the idea of what the Principate-era emperor's power was based upon: the emperor as the princeps .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Under the Monarchy, the Emperor appropriated the full right of direct legislation, which had not belonged to him under the Principate.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. I Chap. I 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ The image of a free constitution was preserved with decent reverence: the Roman senate appeared to possess the sovereign authority, and devolved on the emperors all the executive powers of government.
  • Best of Gibbon's DECLINE & FALL 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.his.com [Source type: Original source]

.His reputation in the Senate aside, he kept the people of Rome happy through various measures, including donations to every resident of Rome, wild spectacles in the newly finished Colosseum, and continuing the public works projects of his father and brother.^ His reputation in the Senate aside, he kept the people of Rome happy through various measures, including donations to every resident of Rome, wild spectacles in the newly finished Colosseum, and continuing the public works projects of his father and brother.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Right from the start Rome distrusted Perseus as he had plotted against his younger brother Demetrius, assuring his execution for treason, during his father’s reign.

^ If they would see Rome through the next five years unharmed, then Rome would offer the first born of all her flocks and herds on a date set by the senate.

.He also apparently had the good fiscal sense of his father, because although he spent lavishly his successors came to power with a well-endowed treasury.^ He also apparently had the good fiscal sense of his father, because although he spent lavishly his successors came to power with a well-endowed treasury.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ When the emperor Diocletian came to power in 284, he and his successors implemented a range of reforms in the governing system and the army.

^ Although his name and his father’s (Mummolus) are Germanic, he is almost certainly Gallo-Roman because distinguished by Gregory from “Grippo Francus,” .
  • Roman Empire « Medievalists.net 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.medievalists.net [Source type: Original source]

.However, towards the end of his reign Domitian became extremely paranoid, which probably had its initial roots in the treatment he received by his father: although given significant responsibility, he was never trusted with anything important without supervision.^ However, towards the end of his reign Domitian became extremely paranoid, which probably had its initial roots in the treatment he received by his father: although given significant responsibility, he was never trusted with anything important without supervision.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ City Cohorts Towards the end of his reign emperor Augustus created three more praetorian cohorts, bringing the number to twelve.

^ You never mentioned, but if the Dacian fortress that you saw was barbarian in appearance, it is important to know that it was probably Roman made.

.This flowered into the severe and perhaps pathological repercussions following the short-lived rebellion in 89 of Antonius Saturninus, a governor and commander in Germany.^ This flowered into the severe and perhaps pathological repercussions following the short-lived rebellion in 89 of Antonius Saturninus, a governor and commander in Germany.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Short-lived rebellions were put down in Lugdunum, Cologne, and Britain.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.Domitian's paranoia led to a large number of arrests, executions, and seizure of property (which might help explain his ability to spend so lavishly).^ Domitian's paranoia led to a large number of arrests, executions, and seizure of property (which might help explain his ability to spend so lavishly).
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In Rome the first record of poisoning dates back to 331 BC when a large number of women were executed for suspected mass poisoning.

.Eventually it got to the point where even his closest advisers and family members lived in fear, leading them to his murder in 96 orchestrated by his enemies in the Senate, Stephanus (the steward of the deceased Julia Flavia), members of the Praetorian Guard and empress Domitia Longina.^ Eventually it got to the point where even his closest advisers and family members lived in fear, leading them to his murder in 96 orchestrated by his enemies in the Senate, Stephanus (the steward of the deceased Julia Flavia ), members of the Praetorian Guard and empress Domitia Longina .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Unlike bodies such as the Praetorian Guard, the Varangians became famed for their loyalty to the emperor, even their willingness to fight to the death to protect him.

^ Several senators, among them many former enemies who had been "graciously" pardoned by him, grew fearful that he would crown himself and try to establish a monarchy.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

Antonine Dynasty (96–180)

Main article: Antonines
Roman Empire as its greatest extent with the conquests of Trajan, AD 117
.The next century came to be known as the period of the "Five Good Emperors", in which the succession was peaceful though not dynastic and the Empire was prosperous.^ The next century came to be known as the period of the "Five Good Emperors", in which the succession was peaceful though not dynastic and the Empire was prosperous.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The third century was a period of crisis and transformation in the history of the empire.

^ After the bloody civil wars of 68, "the year of the four emperors," Vespasian founded the IInd Dynasty, and dynastic succession was for the present again adopted.
  • Bible Encyclopedia: Roman 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC bibleencyclopedia.com [Source type: Original source]

.The emperors of this period were Nerva (96–98), Trajan (98–117), Hadrian (117–138), Antoninus Pius (138–161) and Marcus Aurelius (161–180), each being adopted by his predecessor as his successor during the former's lifetime.^ Marcus Aurelius 161-180 .
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ The emperors of this period were Nerva (96"98), Trajan (98"117), Hadrian (117"138), Antoninus Pius (138"161) and Marcus Aurelius (161"180), each being adopted by his predecessor as his successor during the former's lifetime.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Five Good Emperors; Reign of Nerva (A.D. 96-98).-- The five emperors--Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, and the two Antonines--who succeeded Domitian were elected by the Senate, which during this period assumed something of its former weight and influence in the affairs of the Empire.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.While their respective choices of successor were based upon the merits of the individual men they selected, it has been argued that the real reason for the lasting success of the adoptive scheme of succession lay more with the fact that none but the last had a natural heir.^ While their respective choices of successor were based upon the merits of the individual men they selected, it has been argued that the real reason for the lasting success of the adoptive scheme of succession lay more with the fact that none of them had a natural heir.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The last Western Emperor really worthy of the name was probably Majorian, who was a military man in his own right and operated with success in Gaul and Spain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Commodus was the son of Marcus Aurelius, making him the first direct successor in a century, breaking the scheme of adoptive successors that had turned out so well.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

Nerva (96–98)

.After his accession, Nerva set a new tone: he released those imprisoned for treason, banned future prosecutions for treason, restored much confiscated property, and involved the Roman Senate in his rule.^ Aurelian had some senators killed and confiscated much property.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ After his accession, Nerva went to set a new tone: he released those imprisoned for treason, banned future prosecutions for treason, restored much confiscated property, and involved the Roman Senate in his rule.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They demanded that the Roman constitution be amended, whereby one of the consuls and a significant proportion of seats in the Roman senate be set aside for Latins.

.He probably did so as a means to remain relatively popular (and therefore alive), but this did not completely aid him.^ He probably did so as a means to remain relatively popular (and therefore alive), but this did not completely aid him.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Crassus, seeing that the popular soldier might be useful to him, did not quarrel.

^ But what he had done did not remain unpunished, for soon the vengeance of the Emperor Justinian was manifested against him.
  • JORDANES DESCRIBES THE GOTHS' ENTRY AND WANDERINGS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Support for Domitian in the army remained strong, and in October 97 the Praetorian Guard laid siege to the Imperial Palace on the Palatine Hill and took Nerva hostage.^ His election was supported by the Praetorian Guard .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Support for Domitian in the army remained strong, and in October 97 the Praetorian Guard laid siege to the Imperial Palace on the Palatine Hill and took Nerva hostage.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In 284 BC an army of Etruscans and Gauls from the Senones tribe laid siege to Arretium.

.He was forced to submit to their demands, agreeing to hand over those responsible for Domitian's death and even giving a speech thanking the rebellious Praetorians.^ He was forced to submit to their demands, agreeing to hand over those responsible for Domitian's death and even giving a speech thanking the rebellious Praetorians.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Not a day passed without an execution, not even those that were sacred and holy; for he put some to death even on New Year's day.
  • Suetonius • Life of Tiberius 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Unlike bodies such as the Praetorian Guard, the Varangians became famed for their loyalty to the emperor, even their willingness to fight to the death to protect him.

.Nerva then adopted Trajan, a commander of the armies on the German frontier, as his successor shortly thereafter in order to bolster his own rule.^ Nerva then adopted Trajan, a commander of the armies on the German frontier, as his successor shortly thereafter in order to bolster his own rule.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He died after a short reign of sixteen months, and the scepter passed into the hands of the able commander Trajan, whom Nerva had previously made his associate in the government.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Unfortunately, the Mobile Army as often was used for civil wars as for backing up the frontiers, and it was natural for Emperors to neglect the Limitanei and reinforce their own personal forces.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Casperius Aelianus, the Guard Prefect responsible for the mutiny against Nerva, was later executed under Trajan.^ Casperius Aelianus , the Guard Prefect responsible for the mutiny against Nerva, was later executed under Trajan.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Similarly the wars against Jughurta demonstrated the value of nimble Moorish horsemen whom Trajan later found so useful against the Dacians.

^ Execution - The death penalty was a deterrent used against desertion, mutiny or insubordination.

Trajan (98–117)

Main article: Trajan
.In 112, provoked by Parthia's decision to put an unacceptable king on the throne of Armenia, a kingdom over which the two great empires had shared hegemony since the time of Nero some fifty years earlier, Trajan marched first on Armenia.^ In 113, provoked by Parthia's decision to put an unacceptable king on the throne of Armenia, a kingdom over which the two great empires had shared hegemony since the time of Nero some fifty years earlier, Trajan marched first on Armenia.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For some time, the Roman Empire endured without an emperor.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ By the year 472 he had risen to some eminence, since it is expressly recorded that he sided with the patrician Ricimer in his quarrel with the emperor Anthemius.

.He deposed the king and annexed it to the Roman Empire.^ He deposed the king and annexed it to the Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This beast has ten horns, which the prophet says “are ten kings that shall arise” out of, or after , the Roman Empire (verse 24).
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It was some decades before the "official" disappearance of the Western Roman Empire; that was in 476, when the last emperor, Romolus Augustulus, was deposed.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.Then he turned south into Parthia itself, taking the cities of Babylon, Seleucia and finally the capital of Ctesiphon in 116. He continued southward to the Persian Gulf, whence he declared Mesopotamia a new province of the empire and lamented that he was too old to follow in the steps of Alexander the Great.^ Then he turned south into Parthia itself, taking the cities of Babylon , Seleucia and finally the capital of Ctesiphon in 116.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He continued southward to the Persian Gulf, whence he declared Mesopotamia a new province of the Empire and lamented that he was too old to follow in the steps of Alexander the Great.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ After taking Ctesiphon, the Parthian capital, "he conceived a desire to sail down to the Erythraean Sea" [i.e.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.But he did not stop there.^ But he did not stop there.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Later in 116, he captured the great city of Susa.^ Later in 116, he captured the great city of Susa .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Great wealth poured in to the city from the captured territories.
  • The rise and fall of the Roman Empire | Red Room 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.redroom.com [Source type: Original source]

.He deposed the Parthian King Osroes I and put his own puppet ruler Parthamaspates on the throne.^ He deposed the Parthian king Osroes I and put his own puppet ruler Parthamaspates on the throne.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Putting down revolts in Mesopotamia, it is not clear how much Trajan really intended to retain, since he installed his own candidiate for Parthian King (Parthamaspates) in Ctesiphon.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Aspar was a king-maker who put forward both Marcian and then Leo I for the Eastern Throne.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Never again would the Roman Empire advance so far to the east.^ Never again would the Roman Empire advance so far to the east.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Holy Roman Empire hands down its own traditions through the surviving families, and it has never suffered a conquest by any foreign power.

^ They would soon become a loose cannon within the Empire, shattering essential supports of Roman power as the tribe rolled around.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Hadrian (117–138)

Main article: Hadrian
.Despite his own excellence as a military administrator, Hadrian's reign was marked by a general lack of major military conflicts but to defend the vast territories the empire had.^ Despite his own excellence as a military administrator, Hadrian's reign was marked by a general lack of major military conflicts.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Diocletian saw that the vast Roman Empire was ungovernable by a single emperor in the face of internal pressures and military threats on two fronts.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ His reign was comparatively peaceful; there were several military disturbances throughout the Empire in his time, in Mauretania, Iudaea, and amongst the Brigantes in Britain, but none of them are considered serious.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.He surrendered Trajan's conquests in Mesopotamia, considering them to be indefensible.^ He surrendered Trajan's conquests in Mesopotamia, considering them to be indefensible.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.There was almost a war with Parthia around 121, but the threat was averted when Hadrian succeeded in negotiating a peace.^ There was almost a war with Parthia around 121, but the threat was averted when Hadrian succeeded in negotiating a peace.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But in practice, as Rome was almost perpetually at war with someone, there always appeared to be men at arms.

.Hadrian's army crushed a massive Jewish uprising in Judea (132–135) led by Simon Bar Kokhba.^ Hadrian's army crushed a massive Jewish uprising in Judea (132-135) led by Bar Kokhba .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ During real wartime however, which could develop from a rebellion or an uprising, like the massive Jewish rebellion , this was totally and dangerously different.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Bar Kochba's Revolt in Judaea, 132-135 .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Hadrian was the first emperor to extensively tour the provinces, donating money for local construction projects as he went.^ Trajan was the first Emperor born in the provinces (Spain) and briefly, with his Mesopotamian campaign, expanded the Empire to its greatest extent.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ More than fifteen years of his reign were spent by Hadrian in making tours of inspection through all the different provinces of the Empire.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ The Emperor Justinian had, with the energy and thoroughness which distinguished the first half of his long reign, made use of the years of peace to strengthen the defences of the eastern provinces.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVI 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.In Britain, he ordered the construction of a wall, the famous Hadrian's Wall as well as various other such defenses in Germany and Northern Africa.^ He ordered his soldiers to invade Britain to fight the Sea God Neptune , but changed his mind at the last minute and had them pick sea shells on the northern end of France instead.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In Britain Hadrian's wall was improved so much that later generations believed it was built by Severus.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ The unrest in Britain is believed to have led to the construction of the Antonine Wall from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde, although it was soon abandoned.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.His domestic policy was one of relative peace and prosperity.^ Don't know if it will be China as top dog in 100 years but I'm pretty sure there can only be 1 distinguished number 1 one at a time to be able to have relative peace.
  • Imperial Rome and the USA [Archive] - AppleInsider 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC forums.appleinsider.com [Source type: Original source]

Antoninus Pius (138–161)

.His reign was comparatively peaceful; there were several military disturbances throughout the Empire in his time, in Mauretania, Judaea, and amongst the Brigantes in Britain, but none of them are considered serious.^ His reign was comparatively peaceful; there were several military disturbances throughout the Empire in his time, in Mauretania, Iudaea, and amongst the Brigantes in Britain, but none of them are considered serious.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In this way, he successfully broadened the power base of the imperial administration throughout the empire, also by abolishing the regular standing jury courts of Republican times.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Incidentally, we can't rule out that at some moment at the time of the Roman Empire there was something like a "Roman ASPO", maybe "ASPE," the "association for the study of peak empire".
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.The unrest in Britain is believed to have led to the construction of the Antonine Wall from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde, although it was soon abandoned.^ The unrest in Britain is believed to have led to the construction of the Antonine Wall from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde, although it was soon abandoned.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In Britain Hadrian's wall was improved so much that later generations believed it was built by Severus.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ In Britain Roman forces led by Ulpius Marcellus lost and regained the Antonine wall in 184; but this was abandoned the next year when he and his successor Helvius Pertinax faced army mutinies.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

Marcus Aurelius (161–180)

Main article: Marcus Aurelius
.Germanic tribes and other people launched many raids along the long north European border, particularly into Gaul and across the Danube—Germans, in turn, may have been under attack from more warlike tribes farther east.^ On the North East, the Germans were too poor - and also warlike.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Germanic tribes and other peoples launched many raids along the long north European border, particularly into Gaul and across the Danube " Germans, in turn, may have been under attack from more warlike tribes farther east.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Farther off, toward the north, east, and .
  • Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history-world.org [Source type: Original source]

.His campaigns against them are commemorated on the Column of Marcus Aurelius.^ His campaigns against them are commemorated on the Column of Marcus Aurelius.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Marcus Aurelius, the Emperor by this time, left on campaign to stop the hordes, leaving Rome under the charge of his son, Commodus.
  • The rise and fall of the Roman Empire | Red Room 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.redroom.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But more so it was the ceaseless campaigning of Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Elder) which saw to it that the senate finally caved in and took action against Carthage.

.In Asia, a revitalized Parthian Empire renewed its assault.^ In Asia, a revitalized Parthian Empire renewed its assault.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Marcus Aurelius sent his joint emperor Verus to command the legions in the East to face it.^ Marcus Aurelius Verus - "Meditations" ca.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Marcus Aurelius sent his joint emperor Verus to command the legions in the East to face it.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They tried to tell to the world's rulers of their times something not unlike what our fictional druid tried to tell to Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.He was authoritative enough to command the full loyalty of the troops, but already powerful enough that he had little incentive to overthrow Marcus.^ He was authoritative enough to command the full loyalty of the troops, but already powerful enough that he had little incentive to overthrow Marcus.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Yet for all his ability, Hamilcar never had enough troops under his command to do anything more than to harass and stifle Roman efforts.

^ Sulpicius had started his campaign too late in the year, had largely inexperienced troops under his command and was showing little initiative of his own.

The plan succeeded—Verus remained loyal until his death on campaign in 169.

Commodus (180–192)

.The period of the "Five Good Emperors" was brought to an end by the reign of Commodus from 180 to 192. Commodus was the son of Marcus Aurelius, making him the first direct successor in a century, breaking the scheme of adoptive successors that had turned out so well.^ Commodus was the son of Marcus Aurelius, making him the first direct successor in a century, breaking the scheme of adoptive successors that had turned out so well.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Marcus Aurelius 161-180 .
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ As it turned out, things went too well.

.He was co-emperor with his father from 177. When he became sole emperor upon the death of his father in 180, it was at first seen as a hopeful sign by the people of the Roman Empire.^ Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 .
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Born in 161, Commodus was the first Roman Emperor to be born while his father was Emperor.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ He was co-emperor with his father from 177.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Nevertheless, as generous and magnanimous as his father was, Commodus turned out to be just the opposite.^ Nevertheless, as generous and magnanimous as his father was, Commodus turned out to be just the opposite.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Commodus was the son of Marcus Aurelius, making him the first direct successor in a century, breaking the scheme of adoptive successors that had turned out so well.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.In The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon, it is noted that Commodus at first ruled the empire well.^ The dynamic fall of the Roman Empire .
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Edward Gibbon , in writing The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire knew not to end his narrative at 476.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ You have surely read Edward Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire"; at least parts of it.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.However, after an assassination attempt, involving a conspiracy by certain members of his family, Commodus became paranoid and slipped into insanity.^ However, after an assassination attempt, involving a conspiracy by certain members of his family, Commodus became paranoid and slipped into insanity.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Little by little, however, as his vices grew stronger, he dropped jesting and secrecy and with no attempt at disguise openly broke out into worse crime.
  • Suetonius • Life of Nero 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ This event caused the Xiongnu Empire to split into two separate empires in 55 BC; the Eastern and Western Xiongnu, each one ruled by a member of the Xiongnu Imperial family.

.The Pax Romana, or "Roman Peace", ended with the reign of Commodus.^ After Augustus declared an end to the Civil Wars of the 1st century BC, the Empire had enjoyed a period of limited external invasion, internal peace and economic prosperity (the Pax Romana ).
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This may simply illustrate the principle that goodness and peace (the height of the "Pax Romana") is boring.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Pax Romana and the Unification of the World: The first universal blessing conferred by the empire was the famous pax Romana ("Roman peace").
  • Bible Encyclopedia: Roman 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC bibleencyclopedia.com [Source type: Original source]

.One could argue that the assassination attempt began the long decline of the Roman Empire.^ One could argue that the assassination attempt began the long decline of the Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But the Roman empire was the culmination of a long process of political, constitutional, and social growth which gives a lasting interest to Roman history.
  • Bible Encyclopedia: Roman 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC bibleencyclopedia.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Edward Gibbon, author of the massive Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1788), was a learned man, if ever there was one.

Severan Dynasty (193–235)

Reconstruction of the centre of Rome during the reign of Septimius Severus, showing the Colosseum and the area to the south of it
Caracalla
   
Caracalla 3d.jpg
.The Severan Dynasty includes the increasingly troubled reigns of Septimius Severus (193–211), Caracalla (211–217), Macrinus (217–218), Elagabalus (218–222), and Alexander Severus (222–235).^ Severan Dynasty ( 193 " 235 ) .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Elagabalus' cousin Alexander Severus had been declared Caesar and soon became an alternative to the Emperor's shameful lifestyle.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ That takes us from Augustus to Alexander Severus (30 BC to 235 AD).
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The founder of the dynasty, Lucius Septimius Severus, belonged to a leading native family of Leptis Magna in Africa who allied himself with a prominent Syrian family by his marriage to Julia Domna.^ The founder of the dynasty, Lucius Septimius Severus, belonged to a leading native family of Leptis Magna in Africa who allied himself with a prominent Syrian family by his marriage to Julia Domna .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The "family," however, turned out to be the entirely matrilineal creation of Severus' sister-in-law, Julia Maesa, who brought her two grandsons, entirely unrelated to Severus, to the throne.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Artabanus V of the Arsacid dynasty in Parthia, weakened by the invasion of Septimius Severus and others, was overthrown in 224 by the Persian Ardashir (Artaxerxes), who founded the Sassanian dynasty as king of kings two years later.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.Their provincial background and cosmopolitan alliance, eventually giving rise to imperial rulers of Syrian background, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus, testifies to the broad political franchise and economic development of the Roman empire that had been achieved under the Antonines.^ Their provincial background and cosmopolitan alliance, eventually giving rise to imperial rulers of Syrian background, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus, testifies to the broad political franchise and economic development of the Roman empire that had been achieved under the Antonines .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The rise and fall of the Roman Empire .
  • The rise and fall of the Roman Empire | Red Room 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.redroom.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Septimius Severus's son, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus " nicknamed Caracalla " removed all legal and political distinction between Italians and provincials, enacting the Constitutio Antoniniana in 212 which extended full Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants of the empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.A generally successful ruler, Septimius Severus cultivated the army's support with substantial remuneration in return for total loyalty to the emperor and substituted equestrian officers for senators in key administrative positions.^ A generally successful ruler, Septimius Severus cultivated the army's support with substantial remuneration in return for total loyalty to the emperor and substituted equestrian officers for senators in key administrative positions.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They were the Ostrogoths , already the rulers of Italy since 493, trying to retake Rome after a Roman army, led by the great general Belisarius , had begun the reconquest of Italy.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Nobody had to "march on Rome," as Septimius Severus did, to become Emperor.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.In this way, he successfully broadened the power base of the imperial administration throughout the empire, also by abolishing the regular standing jury courts of Republican times.^ In this way, he successfully broadened the power base of the imperial administration throughout the empire, also by abolishing the regular standing jury courts of Republican times.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ His increasing power rendered him too formidable to the Byzantine court, with whom his relations had for some time been growing less friendly.

^ He subdivided imperial authority, established a new system of succession, and institutionalized the despotic powers of his office, giving the empire a new lease on life.

.Septimius Severus's son, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus—nicknamed "Caracalla"—removed all legal and political distinction between Italians and provincials, enacting the Constitutio Antoniniana in 212 which extended full Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants of the empire.^ An edict of 212 extended Roman citizenship to all free men in the empire, broadening the tax base.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Roman Empire as it extended in all Directions, A.D. 98-117 .
  • Historical Maps of The Roman Empire 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC alabamamaps.ua.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Severus had his son Antoninus (later called Caracalla) confirmed as Caesar.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.Caracalla was also responsible for erecting the famous Baths of Caracalla in Rome, their design serving as an architectural model for many subsequent monumental public buildings.^ Caracalla was also responsible for erecting the famous Baths of Caracalla in Rome , their design serving as an architectural model for many subsequent monumental public buildings.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Many of these works were erected at private expense, and almost all were intended for public benefit."
  • Best of Gibbon's DECLINE & FALL 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.his.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In subsequent years many Italians did begin to drift into Rome, lobbying and agitating for greater entitlements.

.Increasingly unstable and autocratic, Caracalla was assassinated by the praetorian prefect Macrinus in 217, who succeeded him briefly as the first emperor not of senatorial rank.^ Who was the first emperor?
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Increasingly unstable and autocratic, Caracalla was assassinated by the praetorian prefect Macrinus in 217, who succeeded him briefly as the first emperor not of senatorial rank.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The assassin was killed immediately, and Praetorian Prefect Opellius Macrinus, promising to give the army money and end the burdensome war, became Emperor and took his young son Diadumenus as colleague, ordering soldiers to name his son Antoninus.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.The imperial court, however, was dominated by formidable women who arranged the succession of Elagabalus in 218, and Alexander Severus, the last of the dynasty, in 222. In the last phase of the Severan principate, the power of the Senate was somewhat revived and a number of fiscal reforms were enacted.^ The imperial court, however, was dominated by formidable women who arranged the succession of Elagabalus in 218, and Alexander Severus , the last of the dynasty, in 222.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Roman Senate immediately bestowed the imperial titles and power on Alexander Severus.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ In the last phase of the Severan principate, the power of the Senate was somewhat revived and a number of fiscal reforms were enacted.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Despite early successes against the Sassanian Empire in the East, Alexander Severus's increasing inability to control the army led eventually to its mutiny and his assassination in 235. The death of Alexander Severus ushered in a subsequent period of soldier-emperors and almost a half-century of civil war and strife.^ The army of Alexander Severus deserted him, and he and his mother were killed in 235.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ The Emperor Aurelian led in person an army against her.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ The civil wars ceased for a century with the death of Antony.
  • Bible Encyclopedia: Roman 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC bibleencyclopedia.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Pax Romana started at the death of Octavian and ended about 200 years later.^ But he was an Emperor with popular support and his reputation survived in Romano-British tradition and gained him a place in the Mabinogion , compiled about a thousand years after his death.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The pastoral romance of Daphnis and Chloe was written by Longus about 200 CE and later influenced the literature of the Renaissance.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Works for me; but it means that we are both wrong about our start dates, but I claim 1997 as an end date for the British Empire.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

Crisis of the Third Century (235–284)

The Roman Empire by 271 A.D with the breakaway Empires of Palmyra and Gallia
The Crisis of the Third Century is a commonly applied name for the crumbling and near collapse of the Roman Empire between 235 and 284. It is also called the period of the "military anarchy".
.After Augustus declared an end to the Civil Wars of the 1st century BC, the Empire had enjoyed a period of limited external invasion, internal peace and economic prosperity (the Pax Romana).^ After Augustus declared an end to the Civil Wars of the 1st century BC, the Empire had enjoyed a period of limited external invasion, internal peace and economic prosperity (the Pax Romana ).
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For more than five centuries they presided over a multi-ethnic empire that was nearly always at war, if not with neighbors then with rebellious factions within the empire itself.

^ The third century was a period of crisis and transformation in the history of the empire.

.In the 3rd century, however, the Empire underwent military, political and economic crises and began to collapse.^ The Roman Empire really collapsed in mid 3rd century.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In the 3rd century , however, the Empire underwent military, political and economic crises and almost collapsed.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ With the addition of ever more provinces, especially that of Asia (Pergamene), the delicately balanced Roman political constitution began to collapse from within.

.There was constant barbarian invasion, civil war, and hyperinflation.^ There was constant barbarian invasion, civil war, and runaway hyperinflation .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Evidently they had resigned themselves to the fact that there was going to be a civil war.

^ A Laconic Message; End of the Civil War.-- Cæsar, who had followed Pompey to Egypt, was detained there nine months in settling a dispute respecting the throne.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Part of the problem had its origins in the nature of the Augustan settlement.^ Part of the problem had its origins in the nature of the Augustan settlement.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Augustus, intending to downplay his position, had not established rules for the succession of emperors.^ Augustus, intending to downplay his position, had not established rules for the succession of emperors.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ His soldiers, disregarding the rule of succession as determined by the system of Diocletian, proclaimed his son Constantine Emperor Six competitors for the throne arose in different quarters.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ By the time of her death, Rome had been ruled for almost 30 years by the Emperor Augustus and had traded the tumultuous Republican form of government for imperial calm.

.Already in the 1st and 2nd century, disputes about the succession had led to short civil wars, but in the 3rd century these civil wars became a constant factor, as no single candidate succeeded in quickly overcoming his opponents or holding on to the Imperial position for very long.^ Already in the 1st and 2nd century disputes about the succession had lead to short civil wars, but in the 3rd century these civil wars became a constant factor, as no single candidate succeeded in quickly overcoming his opponents or holding on to the Imperial position for very long.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As from the late 1st century BC certain persons (mostly women) became infamous as dispensers of poison.

^ A Laconic Message; End of the Civil War.-- Cæsar, who had followed Pompey to Egypt, was detained there nine months in settling a dispute respecting the throne.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Between 235 and 284 no fewer than 25 different emperors ruled Rome (the Soldier-Emperors).^ Emperor at Rome; 52 are comprised between .
  • Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history-world.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Between 235 and 284 no fewer than 25 different emperors ruled Rome (the "Soldier-Emperors").
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ His soldiers, disregarding the rule of succession as determined by the system of Diocletian, proclaimed his son Constantine Emperor Six competitors for the throne arose in different quarters.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.All but two of these emperors were either murdered or killed in battle.^ All but two of these emperors were either murdered or killed in battle.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Nicephorus ended up killed in battle against the Bulgars , and his son Stauracius, proclaimed Emperor, turned out to be paralyzed from a spinal wound.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The battle was partly obscured to all present by thick mist, making it impossible for the centre of either army to observe what was happening on the wings.

.The organization of the Roman military, concentrated on the borders, could provide no remedy against foreign invasions once the invaders had broken through.^ The organisation of the Roman military, concentrated on the borders, could provide no remedy against foreign invasions once the invaders had broken through.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So he made no delay but moved his army against them at once, at about the time when Hierius and Ardabures had become consuls.
  • JORDANES DESCRIBES THE GOTHS' ENTRY AND WANDERINGS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ So, I think the explanation is that the Romans lacked the economic resources to develop new lands because they had concentrated all they had into the military.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.A decline in citizens' participation in local administration forced the Emperors to step in, gradually increasing the central government's responsibility.^ A decline in citizens' participation in local administration forced the Emperors to step in, gradually increasing the central government's responsibility.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As with the decline of the Limitanei , the late Macedonian Emperors began to neglect the Thematic forces and rely on the Tagmata, which soon filled with mercenaries.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This meant that the emperors had to control an increasing number of subordinate administrators (and their kinsmen) rather than the select few of the earlier oligarchic senate.

.This period ended with the accession of Diocletian.^ This period ended with the accession of Diocletian .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Changes in the Administrative System.-- The century of anarchy which preceded the accession of Diocletian, and the death by assassination during this period of ten of the twenty-five wearers of the imperial purple.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Traditionally, historians make a distinction between the Principate , the period following Augustus until the Crisis of the Third Century , and the Dominate , the period from Diocletian until the end of the Empire in the West.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Diocletian, either by skill or sheer luck, solved many of the acute problems experienced during this crisis.^ Diocletian, either by skill or sheer luck, solved many of the acute problems experienced during this crisis.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.However, the core problems would remain and cause the eventual destruction of the western empire.^ However, the core problems would remain and cause the eventual destruction of the western empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The two remaining Augusti divided the Empire again in the pattern established by Diocletian: Constantine becoming Augustus of the Western Roman Empire and Licinius Augustus of the Eastern Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Gibbon wrote a truly monumental account of the story of the Empire, but he doesn't really propose us a "theory" of the causes of the fall, as most historians would do, later on.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.The transitions of this period mark the beginnings of Late Antiquity and the end of Classical Antiquity.^ The transitions of this period mark the beginnings of Late Antiquity and the end of Classical Antiquity.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Any objective view of Western civilization before and after his reign clearly shows that it marks the end of antiquity and the beginning of the dark ages.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The cultural and intellectual sea change of the period, soon followed by Diocletian's reforms and then Constantine, usher in the distinctive world of Late Antiquity .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Partition of the Empire

The Tetrarchs, a porphyry sculpture sacked from a Byzantine palace in 1204, Treasury of St Mark's, Venice
   
Details in 3d.jpg
.The transition from a single united empire to the later divided Western and Eastern empires was a gradual transformation.^ The transition from a single united empire to the later divided Western and Eastern empires was a gradual transformation.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Eastern/western roman empire scenario .
  • RBC12J - Eastern Roman Empire - Civilization Fanatics' Forums 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC forums.civfanatics.com [Source type: General]

^ The two remaining Augusti divided the Empire again in the pattern established by Diocletian: Constantine becoming Augustus of the Western Roman Empire and Licinius Augustus of the Eastern Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.In July 285, Diocletian defeated rival Emperor Carinus and briefly became sole emperor of the Roman Empire.^ In July 285, Diocletian defeated rival Emperor Carinus and briefly became sole emperor of the Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 .
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ The two remaining Augusti divided the Empire again in the pattern established by Diocletian: Constantine becoming Augustus of the Western Roman Empire and Licinius Augustus of the Eastern Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Diocletian saw that the vast Roman Empire was ungovernable by a single emperor in the face of internal pressures and military threats on two fronts.^ Diocletian saw that the vast Roman Empire was ungovernable by a single emperor in the face of internal pressures and military threats on two fronts.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For some time, the Roman Empire endured without an emperor.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The two remaining Augusti divided the Empire again in the pattern established by Diocletian: Constantine becoming Augustus of the Western Roman Empire and Licinius Augustus of the Eastern Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.He therefore split the Empire in half along a northwest axis just east of Italy, and created two equal Emperors to rule under the title of Augustus.^ He therefore split the Empire in half along a north-west axis just east of Italy, and created two equal Emperors to rule under the title of Augustus .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It took them many years to finally formalize the various Dogma differences and split Often the only thing that linked the two sides of the Empire were coinage minted with both Emperors on them .
  • Imperial Rome and the USA [Archive] - AppleInsider 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC forums.appleinsider.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This point is further illustrated by the fact that when the Emperor appointed a colleague, the junior Augustus was crowned not by the Patriarch but by the Emperor who created him.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. I Chap. I 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Diocletian was Augustus of the eastern half, and gave his long-time friend Maximian the title of Augustus in the western half.^ Diocletian was Augustus of the eastern half, and gave his long-time friend Maximian the title of Augustus in the western half.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The two remaining Augusti divided the Empire again in the pattern established by Diocletian: Constantine becoming Augustus of the Western Roman Empire and Licinius Augustus of the Eastern Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ First, he chose as a colleague a companion ruler, Maximian, who, like himself, bore the title of Augustus.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.In doing so, Diocletian created what would become the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire.^ Western roman empire..
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In doing so, Diocletian created what would become the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Eastern roman empire map .
  • RBC12J - Eastern Roman Empire - Civilization Fanatics' Forums 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC forums.civfanatics.com [Source type: General]

.The western empire would collapse less than 200 years later, and the eastern empire would become the Byzantine Empire, centered in the Greek city of Byzantium, which would later be renamed Constantinople by the emperor Constantine I, and would survive another thousand years.^ The eastern empire in Constantinople was virtually powerless.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Rome had become Romania : a great Empire with a City, rather than a great City with a Empire.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The western empire would collapse less than 200 years later, and the eastern empire would become the Byzantine Empire, centred at Constantinople, which would survive another one thousand years.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Also, since Diocletian was a fervent pagan and was worried about the ever-increasing numbers of Christians in the Empire, he persecuted them with zeal unknown since the time of Nero; this was to be one of the greatest Christian persecutions in history.^ Nero also began one of the first wholesale persecutions of Christians.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He was considered a hero by pagan sources of his time and a villain by Christian ones.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ At the same time, he increased the number of senators from 200, at that low level due to the actions of Nero and the year of crisis that followed, to 1000; most of the new senators coming not from Rome but from Italy and the urban centers within the western provinces.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.In 293 authority was further divided, as each Augustus took a junior Emperor called Caesar to aid him in administrative matters, and to provide a line of succession; Galerius became Caesar under Diocletian and Constantius Chlorus Caesar under Maximian.^ First there was a co-emperor, Maximian, then two junior colleagues, Constantius Chlorus and Galerius.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In 293 authority was further divided, as each Augustus took a junior Emperor called Caesar to aid him in administrative matters, and to provide a line of succession; Galerius became Caesar under Diocletian and Constantius Chlorus Caesar under Maximian.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Maximus was a firm believer of the Nicene Creed and introduced state persecution on charges of heresy , which brought him in conflict with Pope Siricius who argued that the Augustus had no authority over church matters.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.This constituted what is called the Tetrarchy (in Greek: "leadership of four") by modern scholars.^ This constituted what is called the Tetrarchy (in Greek : the leadership of four) by modern scholars.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The system is called the "Tetrarchy," the "Rule of Four."
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.After Rome had been plagued by bloody disputes about the supreme authority, this finally formalized a peaceful succession of the emperor: in each half the Caesar rose up to replace the Augustus and proclaimed a new Caesar.^ After Rome had been plagued by bloody disputes about the supreme authority, this finally formalized a peaceful succession of the Emperor: in each half the Caesar rose up to replace the Augustus and proclaimed a new Caesar.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Republic was finally dissolved, The imperator was proclaimed pater patriae , father of his country, princeps , first citizen, Caesar Augustus, - almost, but not as yet, divine.

^ Historians' viewpoints on the evolution of Imperial Rome The first emperor, Julius Caesar or Octavian?
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.On May 1 305, Diocletian and Maximian abdicated in favor of their Caesars.^ On May 1 305 , Diocletian and Maximian abdicated in favor of their Caesars.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Galerius named the two new Caesars: his nephew Maximinus for himself and Flavius Valerius Severus for Constantius.^ He also prevailed upon Maximian to do the same, with Galerius and Constantius becoming Augusti, appointing two new Caesars, Severus and Maximinus Daia.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Galerius named the two new Caesars: his nephew Maximinus for himself and Flavius Valerius Severus for Constantius.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Constantine agreed, and the Caesar Severus was recognized as the new western Augustus.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The arrangement worked well under Diocletian and Maximian and shortly thereafter.^ The arrangement worked well at the start.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Then Maximian and Diocletian resigned in hope that this four-man system of government would work.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , Edward Gibbon notes that this arrangement worked well because of the affinity the four rulers had for each other.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.The internal tensions within the Roman government were less acute than they had been.^ The internal tensions within the Roman government were less acute than they had been.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Religions : Protestant 47%, Roman Catholic 7%, unaffiliated or other 46%; less than 5% of Protestants and about 25% of Roman Catholics active participants .

^ For more than five centuries they presided over a multi-ethnic empire that was nearly always at war, if not with neighbors then with rebellious factions within the empire itself.

.In The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon notes that this arrangement worked well because of the affinity the four rulers had for each other.^ The dynamic fall of the Roman Empire .
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Edward Gibbon , in writing The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire knew not to end his narrative at 476.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ You have surely read Edward Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire"; at least parts of it.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.Gibbon says that this arrangement has been compared to a "chorus of music". With the withdrawal of Diocletian and Maximian, this harmony disappeared.^ With the withdrawal of Diocletian and Maximian, this harmony disappared.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Gibbon says that this arrangement has been compared to a "chorus of music."
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Tetrarchy would effectively collapse with the death of Constantius Chlorus on July 25 306.^ The Tetrarchy would effectively collapse with the death of Constantius Chlorus on July 25 306 .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Septimius Severus himself was one of the two Roman Emperors ( Constantius Chlorus was the other) to die (a natural death) at York (Eboracum) in Britain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Constantius decreed that, if Athanasius tried to return to Alexandria, he would be put to death.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.Constantius's troops in Eboracum immediately proclaimed his son Constantine an Augustus.^ Constantius's troops in Eboracum immediately proclaimed his son Constantine an Augustus.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ His soldiers, disregarding the rule of succession as determined by the system of Diocletian, proclaimed his son Constantine Emperor Six competitors for the throne arose in different quarters.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Constantius died, and his son Constantine was proclaimed Emperor of the West by his troops even though Maxentius was still the Caesar of Italy and Africa.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.In August 306, Galerius promoted Severus to the position of Augustus.^ In August 306, Galerius promoted Severus to the position of Augustus.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.A revolt in Rome supported another claimant to the same title: Maxentius, son of Maximian, who was proclaimed Augustus on October 28, 306.^ A revolt in Rome supported another claimant to the same title: Maxentius , son of Maximian, who was proclaimed Augustus on October 28 , 306.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ By 294 BC the Etruscan cities who had joined in revolt also had made their peace with Rome.

^ Constantius died, and his son Constantine was proclaimed Emperor of the West by his troops even though Maxentius was still the Caesar of Italy and Africa.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.His election was supported by the Praetorian Guard.^ His election was supported by the Praetorian Guard .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Support for Domitian in the army remained strong, and in October 97 the Praetorian Guard laid siege to the Imperial Palace on the Palatine Hill and took Nerva hostage.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.This left the Empire with five rulers: four Augusti (Galerius, Constantine, Severus and Maxentius) and a Caesar (Maximinus).^ At the end of 307, the Empire had four Augusti (Maximian, Galerius, Constantine and Maxentius) and a sole Caesar (Maximinus).
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This left the Empire in the hands of the three remaining Augusti, Maximinus, Constantine and Licinius.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The end of the year again found the Empire with four legitimate Augusti (Galerius, Maximinus, Constantine and Licinius) and one illegitimate one (Maxentius).
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.The year 307 saw the return of Maximian to the role of Augustus alongside his son Maxentius, creating a total of six rulers of the Empire.^ The year 307 saw the return of Maximian to the role of Augustus alongside his son Maxentius, creating a total of six rulers of the Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "Odoacer (or Odovacar), the first barbarian ruler of Italy on the downfall of the Western empire, was born in the district bordering on the middle Danube about the year 434.

^ First, he chose as a colleague a companion ruler, Maximian, who, like himself, bore the title of Augustus.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Galerius and Severus campaigned against them in Italy.^ Galerius and Severus campaigned against them in Italy.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For any prolonged campaign against Rome, Hannibal required a powerful base in central Italy.

.Severus was killed under command of Maxentius on September 16 307.^ Severus was killed under command of Maxentius on September 16 307 .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.The two Augusti of Italy also managed to ally themselves with Constantine by having Constantine marry Fausta, the daughter of Maximian and sister of Maxentius.^ The two Augusti of Italy also managed to ally themselves with Constantine by having Constantine marry Fausta , the daughter of Maximian and sister of Maxentius.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ After two wives died, Constantine wished to marry Maria Scleraena (presumably not the same Maria Scleraena who had been married to John Tzimisces in the previous century).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This left the Empire with five rulers: four Augusti (Galerius, Constantine, Severus and Maxentius) and a Caesar (Maximinus).
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.At the end of 307, the Empire had four Augusti (Maximian, Galerius, Constantine and Maxentius) and a sole Caesar.^ This left the Empire with five rulers: four Augusti (Galerius, Constantine, Severus and Maxentius) and a Caesar (Maximinus).
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ At the end of 307, the Empire had four Augusti (Maximian, Galerius, Constantine and Maxentius) and a sole Caesar (Maximinus).
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The end of the year again found the Empire with four legitimate Augusti (Galerius, Maximinus, Constantine and Licinius) and one illegitimate one (Maxentius).
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

In 311 Galerius ended the official persecution of Christians, and Constantine, as the first Christian Roman Emperor, declared Christianity legal in 313.

Sons of Constantine (337–361)

A map of Rome in 350
.The Empire was parted again among his three surviving sons.^ The Empire was parted again among his three surviving sons.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Empire was divided between his three sons: Constantius ruled in Gaul, Constans in Italy, and Constantine II became the Emperor of the East.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Constantine's Empire went to his three sons, who might have shared it with their cousins, but killed most of them instead.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Western Roman Empire was divided among the eldest son Constantine II and the youngest son Constans.^ Western roman empire..
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Western Roman Empire was divided among the eldest son Constantine II and the youngest son Constans .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Agreement at Brunidisum divides the Roman empire.

.The Eastern Roman Empire along with Constantinople were the share of middle son Constantius II.^ The Eastern Roman Empire along with Constantinople were the share of middle son Constantius II .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The eastern empire in Constantinople was virtually powerless.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The two remaining Augusti divided the Empire again in the pattern established by Diocletian: Constantine becoming Augustus of the Western Roman Empire and Licinius Augustus of the Eastern Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Constantine II was killed in conflict with his youngest brother in 340. Constans was himself killed in conflict with the army-proclaimed Augustus Magnentius on January 18 350.^ Constans was himself killed in conflict with the army-proclaimed Augustus Magnentius on January 18 350 .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Constantine II was killed in conflict with his youngest brother in 340.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Constantius's troops in Eboracum immediately proclaimed his son Constantine an Augustus.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Magnentius was at first opposed in the city of Rome by self-proclaimed Augustus Nepotianus, a paternal first cousin of Constans.^ Magnentius was at first opposed in the city of Rome by self-proclaimed Augustus Nepotianus , a paternal first cousin of Constans.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Republic was finally dissolved, The imperator was proclaimed pater patriae , father of his country, princeps , first citizen, Caesar Augustus, - almost, but not as yet, divine.

^ It was due to a protest from the Greek city of Massilia ( Marseilles ) that Rome first sent envoys to Spain, seeking assurances that Carthage intended no aggression.

.Nepotianus was killed alongside his mother Eutropia.^ Nepotianus was killed alongside his mother Eutropia .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.His other first cousin Constantia convinced Vetriano to proclaim himself Caesar in opposition to Magnentius.^ His other first cousin Constantia convinced Vetriano to proclaim himself Caesar in opposition to Magnentius.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Republic was finally dissolved, The imperator was proclaimed pater patriae , father of his country, princeps , first citizen, Caesar Augustus, - almost, but not as yet, divine.

^ Constans was himself killed in conflict with the army-proclaimed Augustus Magnentius on January 18 350 .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Vetriano served a brief term from March 1 to December 25 350.^ Vetriano served a brief term from March 1 to December 25 350 .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.He was then forced to abdicate by the legitimate Augustus Constantius.^ He was then forced to abdicate by the legitimate Augustus Constantius.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.The usurper Magnentius would continue to rule the Western Roman Empire until 353 while in conflict with Constantius.^ Western roman empire..
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The usurper Magnentius would continue to rule the Western Roman Empire until 353 while in conflict with Constantius.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Roman Empire lasted until 476.
  • The rise and fall of the Roman Empire | Red Room 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.redroom.com [Source type: Original source]

.His eventual defeat and suicide left Constantius as sole Emperor.^ His eventual defeat and suicide left Constantius as sole Emperor.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Chapter 19: Constantius sole Emperor --- Elevation and Death of Gallus --- Danger and Elevation of Julian --- Sarmatian and Persian Wars --- Victories of Julian in Gaul (351 - 360 A.D.) .
  • Best of Gibbon's DECLINE & FALL 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.his.com [Source type: Original source]

.Constantius's rule would however be opposed again in 360. He had named his paternal half-cousin and brother-in-law Julian as his Caesar of the Western Roman Empire in 355. During the following five years, Julian had a series of victories against invading Germanic tribes, including the Alamanni.^ During the following five years, Julian had a series of victories against invading Germanic tribes , including the Alamanni .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Western roman empire..
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The usurper Magnentius would continue to rule the Western Roman Empire until 353 while in conflict with Constantius.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.This allowed him to secure the Rhine frontier.^ This allowed him to secure the Rhine frontier.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Meanwhile, Augustus had secured the Rhine-Danube frontier, and Claudius conquered most of Britain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.His victorious Gallic troops thus ceased campaigning.^ His victorious Gallic troops thus ceased campaigning.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Constantius sent orders for the troops to be transferred to the east as reinforcements for his own currently unsuccessful campaign against Shapur II of Persia.^ Constantius send orders for the troops to be transferred to the east as reinforcements for his own currently unsuccessful campaign against Shapur II of Persia.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Julian eventually resumed the war against Shapur II of Persia .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Constantine II declared war against his brother, Caesar Constans of Italy, and was killed by his own generals.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.This order led the Gallic troops to an insurrection.^ This order led the Gallic troops to an insurrection .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.They proclaimed their commanding officer Julian to be an Augustus.^ They proclaimed their commanding officer Julian to be an Augustus.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Both Augusti were not ready to lead their troops to another Roman Civil War.^ Both Augusti were not ready to lead their troops to another Roman Civil War .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Antiochus III of Syria, who had lost control of the sea in the naval war, meanwhile withdrew his troops from the coasts in Asia Minor, awaiting the Roman attack.

^ The Roman officer Sertorius, using Spain as his base for waging civil war against Rome, demonstrated that - when well led and disciplined - they made first-class troops, and the revolt was only crushed after the death of its leader.

.Constantius's timely demise on November 3, 361 prevented this war from ever occurring.^ Constantius's timely demise on November 3 , 361 prevented this war from ever occurring.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

Julian and Jovian (361–364)

.Julian would serve as the sole Emperor for two years.^ Julian would serve as the sole Emperor for two years.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Though the Roman state would continue to have two emperors, the Eastern Romans considered themselves Roman in full.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Eastern Emperor Valens acknowledged him with the provision that Valentinian's sixteen year old son Gratian serve in that capacity until Valentinian II was somewhat older.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.He had received his baptism as a Christian years before, but apparently no longer considered himself one.^ He had received his baptism as a Christian years before, but apparently no longer considered himself one.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ No, he was denying himself the Throne because no one, including himself, believed that a German non-citizen was qualified to become Emperor.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He became bishop six years later, and it was said that in the next quarter century he transformed this community that had had only 17 Christians to one that had only that many pagans.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.His reign would see the ending of restriction and persecution of paganism introduced by his uncle and father-in-law Constantine I and his cousins and brothers-in-law Constantine II, Constans and Constantius II. He instead placed similar restrictions and unofficial persecution of Christianity.^ Constantine felt others would see Christianity as he saw it.
  • The rise and fall of the Roman Empire | Red Room 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.redroom.com [Source type: Original source]

^ His reign would see the ending of restriction and persecution of paganism introduced by his uncle and father-in-law Constantine the Great and his cousins and brothers-in-law Constantine II, Constans and Constantius II. He instead placed similar restrictions and unofficial persecution of Christianity .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He cited Nero and Domitian as examples of cruel tyrants who persecuted Christians, whereas the noble Marcus Aurelius put the law aside and condemned their accusers.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.His edict of toleration in 362 ordered the reopening of pagan temples and the reinstitution of alienated temple properties, and, more problematically for the Christian Church, the recalling of previously exiled Christian bishops.^ His edict of toleration in 362 ordered the reopening of pagan temples and the reinstitution of alienated temple properties, and, more problematically for the Christian Church , the recalling of previously exile d Christian bishop s.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Although he had previously confessed Christianity, he declared himself the Pontifex Maximus of pagans, frequented pagan temples, offered sacrifices, and invited his subjects to adopt that form of worship.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He was converted from paganism to Nicene Christianity by Bishop Ambrose.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.Returning Orthodox and Arian bishops resumed their conflicts, thus further weakening the Church as a whole.^ Returning Orthodox and Arian bishops resumed their conflicts, thus further weakening the Church as a whole.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Church Council of Nicæa (A.D. 325).-- With a view to settling the controversy between the Arians and the Athanasians [The Arians were the followers of Arius, a presbyter of Alexander in Egypt; the Athanasians, of Athanasius, archdeacon and later bishop of the same city, and the champion of the Orthodox or Catholic view of the Trinity.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ All we need is a photograph, and Industrial Light and Magic can put Constantine XI and the whole gang right into it with all the paraphernalia of the Greek Orthodox Church.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Julian himself was not a traditional pagan.^ Julian himself was not a traditional pagan.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.His personal beliefs were largely influenced by Neoplatonism and Theurgy; he reputedly believed he was the reincarnation of Alexander the Great.^ His personal beliefs were largely influenced by Neoplatonism and Theurgy ; he reputedly believed he was the reincarnation of Alexander the Great .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Believing he was the reincarnation of the Macedonian Alexander , Caracalla went to Egypt, where he had thousands of seditious Alexandrians slaughtered while he reported to the Senate he was performing "purification rites."
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.He produced works of philosophy arguing his beliefs.^ He produced works of philosophy arguing his beliefs.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.His brief renaissance of paganism would, however, end with his death.^ His brief renaissance of paganism would, however, end with his death.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Augustus however vetoed the surname, reiterating the promise that Tiberius would be satisfied with one which he would receive at his father's death.
  • Suetonius • Life of Tiberius 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ For after slaying many of the foe, it appears that he met his death so bravely that, if his father had lived, he would have rejoiced at his glorious end.
  • JORDANES DESCRIBES THE GOTHS' ENTRY AND WANDERINGS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Julian eventually resumed the war against Shapur II of Persia.^ Julian eventually resumed the war against Shapur II of Persia .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Constantine II declared war against his brother, Caesar Constans of Italy, and was killed by his own generals.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Constantius send orders for the troops to be transferred to the east as reinforcements for his own currently unsuccessful campaign against Shapur II of Persia.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.He received a mortal wound in battle and died on June 26, 363.^ He received a mortal wound in battle and died on June 26 , 363 .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But in the third battle, when they met each other unexpectedly at the river named Erac, Balamber shot an arrow and wounded Vinitharius in the head, so that he died.
  • JORDANES DESCRIBES THE GOTHS' ENTRY AND WANDERINGS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Bishop Gregory of Alexandria died, probably of violence (26 June), whereupon Constantius yielded.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.According to Gibbon in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, upon being mortally wounded by a dart, he was carried back to his camp.^ The dynamic fall of the Roman Empire .
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "Rance" writes: About ten years ago, as I was growing bored with newspaper reading on my daily trips to New York and back to Philadelphia, I started Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire .
  • Best of Gibbon's DECLINE & FALL 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.his.com [Source type: Original source]

^ You have surely read Edward Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire"; at least parts of it.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

He gave a farewell speech, in which he refused to name a successor. He then proceeded to debate the philosophical nature of the soul with his generals. He then requested a glass of water, and shortly after drinking it, died. .He was considered a hero by pagan sources of his time and a villain by Christian ones.^ He was considered a hero by pagan sources of his time and a villain by Christian ones.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He became bishop six years later, and it was said that in the next quarter century he transformed this community that had had only 17 Christians to one that had only that many pagans.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Pagans were generally tolerated at the time (not tortured or starved to death), but the Army and probably the Britons were overwhelming Christian.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Gibbon wrote quite favorably about Julian.^ About 240 a North African bishop named Commodianus wrote poetic instructions in favor of Christian discipline.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.Contemporary historians have treated him as a controversial figure.^ Later historians have treated him as a controversial figure.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Julian died childless and with no designated successor.^ Julian died childless and with no designated successor.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.The officers of his army elected the rather obscure officer Jovian emperor.^ The officers of his army elected the rather obscure officer Jovian emperor.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "The Barrack Emperors."-- For nearly a century after the death of Commodus (from A.D. 192 to 284) the emperors were elected by the army, and hence the rulers for this period have been called "the Barrack Emperors."
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ The army in Italy elected his brother Quintillus Emperor but had him killed after learning the army in the Balkans had selected the popular Domitius Aurelian.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.He is remembered for signing an unfavorable peace treaty with Persia, ceding terrorities won from the Persians, dating back to Trajan.^ He is remembered for signing an unfavorable peace treaty with Persia and restoring the privileges of Christianity.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.He restored the privileges of Christianity.^ [Barnes, 155] 362 Julian canceled all the privileges granted to Christians by Constantine and his sons, and set about restoring paganism (4 February).
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.He is considered a Christian himself, though little is known of his beliefs.^ He is considered a Christian himself, though little is known of his beliefs.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Also a little known fact about the Barbarians was that they were Christian as Christianity had spread into the areas outside of the Roman empire much quicker than inside the empire.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He had received his baptism as a Christian years before, but apparently no longer considered himself one.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Jovian himself died on February 17 364.^ [Barnes, 159-160] 364 Jovian ruled for about eight months, and suddenly died while enroute from Antioch to Constantinople (16 February).
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

Valentinian dynasty (364–392)

Main article: Valentinian Dynasty
The role of choosing a new Augustus fell again to army officers. .On February 28 364, Pannonian officer Valentinian I was elected Augustus in Nicaea, Bithynia.^ On February 28 364 , Pannonia n officer Valentinian I was elected Augustus in Nicaea , Bithynia .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He was proclaimed Augustus on September 28 and soon extended his control to both Thrace and Bithynia.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.However, the army had been left leaderless twice in less than a year, and the officers demanded Valentinian choose a co-ruler.^ There are however those who claim that the Praetorian guard, rather than being a body of select men, were merely an army drawn from Italy, rather than from the provinces.

^ His proposal was refused, though if he had made a reasonable demand it would have been agreed to; and the Persian army encamped at somewhat less than a mile from the walls.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVI 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ A few years later, the Roman general Germanicus, nephew of Emperor Tiberius, went back to Teutoburg with no less than eight legions.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.On March 28 Valentinian chose his own younger brother Valens and the two new Augusti parted the Empire in the pattern established by Diocletian: Valentinian would administer the Western Roman Empire, while Valens took control over the Eastern Roman Empire.^ The two remaining Augusti divided the Empire again in the pattern established by Diocletian: Constantine becoming Augustus of the Western Roman Empire and Licinius Augustus of the Eastern Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Western roman empire..
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ On March 28 Valentinian chose his own younger brother Valens and the two new Augusti parted the Empire in the pattern established by Diocletian: Valentinian would administer the Western Roman Empire, while Valens took control over the Eastern Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

Valens's election would soon be disputed. .Procopius, a Cilician maternal cousin of Julian, had been considered a likely heir to his cousin but was never designated as such.^ Procopius , a Cilicia n maternal cousin of Julian, had been considered a likely heir to his cousin but was never designated as such.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Clearly it had never been designed as an office to be held by a political heavyweight such as a Gracchus.

^ Never, says Procopius, did the Romans experience such a p109 great disaster.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVI 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.He had been in hiding since the election of Jovian.^ He had been in hiding since the election of Jovian.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.In 365, while Valentinian was at Paris and then at Rheims to direct the operations of his generals against the Alamanni, Procopius managed to bribe two legions assigned to Constantinople and take control of the Eastern Roman capital.^ In 365, while Valentinian was at Paris and then at Rheims to direct the operations of his generals against the Alamanni , Procopius managed to bribe two legions assigned to Constantinople and take control of the Eastern Roman capital.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The two remaining Augusti divided the Empire again in the pattern established by Diocletian: Constantine becoming Augustus of the Western Roman Empire and Licinius Augustus of the Eastern Roman Empire.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Eastern Roman Empire along with Constantinople were the share of middle son Constantius II .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.He was proclaimed Augustus on September 28 and soon extended his control to both Thrace and Bithynia.^ On 28 September 365 Julian's relative Procopius was proclaimed Emperor, so Valens had to face what appeared to be a serious challenge to his rule.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.War between the two rival Eastern Roman Emperors continued until Procopius was defeated.^ Byzantine emperors of the Eastern Roman .
  • Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history-world.org [Source type: Original source]

^ War between the two rival Eastern Roman Emperors continued until Procopius was defeated.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In 365, while Valentinian was at Paris and then at Rheims to direct the operations of his generals against the Alamanni , Procopius managed to bribe two legions assigned to Constantinople and take control of the Eastern Roman capital.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.Valens had him executed on May 27, 366.^ Valens had him executed on May 27 , 366 .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.On August 4 367, a third Augustus was proclaimed by the other two.^ On August 4 367 , a 3rd Augustus was proclaimed by the other two.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Maximian similarly proclaimed himself an Augustus for a third and final time.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.His father Valentinian and uncle Valens chose the eight-year-old Gratian as a nominal co-ruler, obviously as a means to secure succession.^ Valens was 50 years old.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ His father Valentinian and uncle Valens chose the 8 year-old Gratian as a nominal co-ruler, obviously as a means to secure succession.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Following Gratian's death, Maximus had to deal with Valentinian II, actually only 12 years old, as the senior Augustus.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.In April 375 Valentinian I led his army in a campaign against the Quadi, a Germanic tribe which had invaded his native province of Pannonia.^ In April 375 Valentinian I led his army in a campaign against the Quadi , a Germanic tribe which had invaded his native province of Pannonia.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Speaking of the Indo-Germanic tribes which were invading Europe while he was alive, the historian Jerome, who was born in a.d.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ During the following five years, Julian had a series of victories against invading Germanic tribes , including the Alamanni .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.During an audience with an embassy from the Quadi at Brigetio on the Danube, a town now part of modern-day Komárno, Slovak republic, Valentinian suffered a burst blood vessel in the skull while angrily yelling at the people gathered.^ Ararat is just north of the Mesopotamian Valley (the eastern part of modern-day Turkey).
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ When they were brought before him, Valentinian expressed his displeasure, for a long time, in a very high-pitched voice, burst a blood-vessel, and died shortly thereafter.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For the next four centuries of the Roman Empire it was the required study of all educated people, and it remained popular in the Middle Ages right down to the modern day.

This injury resulted in his death on November 17 375.
Succession did not go as planned. .Gratian was then a 16-year-old and arguably ready to act as Emperor, but the troops in Pannonia proclaimed his infant half-brother emperor under the title Valentinian II.^ The guards proclaimed the 13-year-old Gordian III Emperor.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ The army proclaimed his four year old son, Valentinian II, Emperor of the West.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Huhanye, a half-Chinese Xiongnu prince, entered Han protectorate in 58 BC but his brother Luanti Hutuwusi revolted against him and he declared his independence in the same year wih the title Zhizhi Chanyu.

.Gratian acquiesced in their choice and administered the Gallic part of the Western Roman Empire.^ Western roman empire..
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Thus after a century Africa, which in the division of the earth's surface is regarded as the third part of the world, was delivered from the yoke of the Vandals and brought back to the liberty of the Roman Empire.
  • JORDANES DESCRIBES THE GOTHS' ENTRY AND WANDERINGS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ If internal constraints were the main driver for its demise, the Eastern and the Western part of the empire would have collapsed at about the same time.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.Italy, Illyria and Africa were officially administrated by his brother and his step-mother Justina.^ Italy, Illyria and Africa were officially administrated by his brother and his step-mother Justina .
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

.However the division was merely nominal as the actual authority still rested with Gratian.^ However the division was merely nominal as the actual authority still rested with Gratian.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Nevertheless, officially his authority rested upon this republican title, however irregular it might have been, and therefore he is considered a republican official.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The boy was only still five or six years old and held no actual authority.
  • Roman Empire at AllExperts 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC en.allexperts.com [Source type: Original source]

Battle of Adrianople (378)

Main article: Battle of Adrianople
Barbarian invasions of the Roman Empire, showing the Battle of Adrianople.
.Meanwhile, the Eastern Roman Empire faced its own problems with Germanic tribes.^ The Holy Roman Empire hands down its own traditions through the surviving families, and it has never suffered a conquest by any foreign power.

^ The mysterious invaders proved to be two Germanic tribes, the Teutons and Cimbri, the vanguard of that great German migration which was destined to change the face and history of Europe.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Germans Sarmatians, Arabs, Armenians, Persians, Moors; all were not subjects of the empire and now stood to the Roman army in the same relation as once the auxiliaries had done.

.The Thervingi, an East Germanic tribe, fled their former lands following an invasion by the Huns.^ Foremost among the hostile tribes were once again the Boii and Insubres who had suffered so terribly in the fighting following the last Gallic invasion.

^ Byzantines); by the seventh century a term for the Christian empire of the east; from the thirteenth century, used of the former lands of the Byzantine empire which had been partitioned and were being governed by the Venetians, Franks and other westerners.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Their leaders Alavivus and Fritigern led them to seek refuge from the Eastern Roman Empire.^ Henceforth the Roman soldiers would be led by clever men seeking to outmanoeuvre their foe rather than merely being lined up and marched at the enemy.

^ And even after him there remained a legitimate Roman Emperor in Byzantium, in the Eastern Empire.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The eastern potentate might well apprehend danger to his own kingdom in the expansion of the Roman Empire by the reconquest of its lost provinces.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVI 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Valens indeed let them settle as foederati on the southern bank of the Danube in 376. However, the newcomers faced problems from allegedly corrupted provincial commanders and a series of hardships.^ Prior to his death, however, Scipio Aemilianus sought to address the problem faced by the Italians.

^ The title of the Master of Horse of Gaul, however, may mean that he was second in command for entire Western Army, a serious position indeed.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Their dissatisfaction led them to revolt against their Roman hosts.^ The Roman officer Sertorius, using Spain as his base for waging civil war against Rome, demonstrated that - when well led and disciplined - they made first-class troops, and the revolt was only crushed after the death of its leader.

^ He believes the Silures tribe were more advanced than most people give them credit for, having waged a ferocious guerrilla campaign against the Romans which lasted far longer than even the famous Boudica-led revolt.

.For the following two years conflicts continued.^ The following two years a new commander, C. Sextus Calvinus, reduced the last remnants of Ligurian resistance in the area.

^ The two following years were occupied with expeditions and campaigns of an experimental kind.

^ They evidently failed to obtain satisfaction, because in the following two years there was an uprising amongst them (Caesar B.G. 1.6, 44).'

.Valens personally led a campaign against them in 378. Gratian provided his uncle with reinforcements from the Western Roman army.^ The Roman Army AD 378-565 .

^ The Emperor Aurelian led in person an army against her.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ He too was providing Roman armies with grain for free.

.However this campaign proved disastrous for the Romans.^ Once more, however, the genius of the man proved too much for the Romans.

.The two armies approached each other near Adrianople.^ However, King Antiochus was well aware of the disparity in quality of the two armies facing each other.

Valens was apparently overconfident of the numerical superiority of his own forces over the Goths. .Some of his officers advised caution and to await the arrival of Gratian, others urged an immediate attack and eventually prevailed over Valens, who, eager to have all of the glory for himself, rushed into battle.^ He eventually marched his newly trained rag tag army of raw levies and mercenaries out into the open plain of Bagradas (Medjerda) where he offered battle.

^ This may have been at the urging of Galerius, who was eager for full power, and was taken with ill grace by Maximian, who tried to return to power twice and was finally killed.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ These he received with the greatest delight, not only giving audience before all others to the envoys who brought them, but even inviting them to his private table.
  • Suetonius • Life of Nero 15 September 2009 3:55 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.On August 9 378, the Battle of Adrianople resulted in the crushing defeat of the Romans and the death of Valens.^ In AD 378 the Gothic cavalry annihilated the eastern army under emperor Valens at the Battle of Adrianople (Hadrianopolis).

^ The resulting battle was close and hard fought but turned into a catastrophic rout, with Valens himself falling.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ [Sozomen VI, xxxix] 378 Death of Valens.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.Contemporary historian Ammianus Marcellinus estimated that two thirds of the Roman army were lost in the battle.^ At the Battle of Callinicus, which took place some 3 miles from Larissa ( Larisa ), the entire Roman consular force was put to rout by the army of Perseus.

^ "A leading historian has documented the exploits of the ancient Silures tribe, who fought a long campaign against the Romans two millennia ago.

^ Vegetius, who is so sensible of the problems with his contemporary Roman Army, seems quite satisified with the Army's cavalry.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

The last third managed to retreat.
.The battle had far-reaching consequences.^ This ill feeling between Rome and the Aetolian League should have far reaching consequences, which at the time most likely no one could have foreseen.

Veteran soldiers and valuable administrators were among the heavy casualties. .There were few available replacements at the time, leaving the Empire with the problems of finding suitable leadership.^ Incidentally, we can't rule out that at some moment at the time of the Roman Empire there was something like a "Roman ASPO", maybe "ASPE," the "association for the study of peak empire".
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Indeed, at the time, the accusation was that Christianity itself was the cause of the empire's problems.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It is mostly talk, but there is something in it and in Academia they - normally - leave you free to do the things you like at least for a fraction of your time.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Roman army would also start facing recruiting problems.^ And if it was simply to achieve the fitness of its recruits or to guarantee their ability in handling the weapons, the Roman army had a training program for it.

^ The Roman army faced certain annihilation and was forced to surrender.

^ Vegetius, who is so sensible of the problems with his contemporary Roman Army, seems quite satisified with the Army's cavalry.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.In the following century much of the Roman army would consist of Germanic mercenaries.^ Germans had long been in the Roman army.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Germans in the Roman army became Romans.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Germans Sarmatians, Arabs, Armenians, Persians, Moors; all were not subjects of the empire and now stood to the Roman army in the same relation as once the auxiliaries had done.

For the moment however there was another concern. .The death of Valens left Gratian and Valentinian II as the sole two Augusti.^ The Eastern Emperor Valens acknowledged him with the provision that Valentinian's sixteen year old son Gratian serve in that capacity until Valentinian II was somewhat older.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Theodosius acknowledged him on condition that he allow Gratian's twelve year old brother, Valentinian II, to rule in Italy.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ With the deaths of their parents, the two sisters are left on their own.

.Gratian was now effectively responsible for the whole of the Empire.^ Now in the place of Valens, his uncle, the Emperor Gratian established Theodosius the Spaniard in the Eastern Empire.
  • JORDANES DESCRIBES THE GOTHS' ENTRY AND WANDERINGS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.He sought however a replacement Augustus for the Eastern Roman Empire.^ And even after him there remained a legitimate Roman Emperor in Byzantium, in the Eastern Empire.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ However, Vasiliev apparently knows better, for he glosses "Romania" with "as the Latins and Greeks often called the Eastern Empire" [p.462].
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The eastern potentate might well apprehend danger to his own kingdom in the expansion of the Roman Empire by the reconquest of its lost provinces.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVI 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

His choice was Theodosius I, son of formerly distinguished general Count Theodosius. The elder Theodosius had been executed in early 375 for unclear reasons. .The younger one was named Augustus of the Eastern Roman Empire on January 19 379.^ Edward Gibbon, author of the massive Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1788), was a learned man, if ever there was one.

^ And because of its close association with the great false church, this empire eventually assumed the name Holy Roman Empire.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Thus was foreshadowed the day when all freemen throughout the whole empire should be Roman in name and privilege.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.His appointment would prove a deciding moment in the division of the Empire.^ The root of the matter was, both were ambitious, but so too did the division of the empire prove that it required sole rule.

^ And yet even the majestic ruins that are still scattered over Italy and the provinces, would be sufficient to prove that those countries were once the seat of a polite and powerful empire.
  • Best of Gibbon's DECLINE & FALL 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.his.com [Source type: Original source]

Disturbed peace in the West (383)

.Gratian governed the Western Roman Empire with energy and success for some years, but he gradually sank into indolence.^ Western roman empire..
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Incidentally, we can't rule out that at some moment at the time of the Roman Empire there was something like a "Roman ASPO", maybe "ASPE," the "association for the study of peak empire".
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In recent years, far-right views have wedged their way into the highest levels of German government.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

.He is considered to have become a figurehead while Frankish general Merobaudes and bishop Ambrose of Milan jointly acted as the power behind the throne.^ If you consider all five elements, things become more complex, but the general approach doesn't change that much.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Of these Valamir ascended the throne after his parents, though the Huns as yet held the power over the Goths in general as among other nations.
  • JORDANES DESCRIBES THE GOTHS' ENTRY AND WANDERINGS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ The "Arian" Empress Justina, the mother of Valentinian II, requested Bishop Ambrose to open a church in Milan where she and her friends could celebrate the Easter of 385, but he refused.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.Gratian lost favor with factions of the Roman Senate by prohibiting traditional paganism at Rome and relinquishing his title of Pontifex Maximus.^ He obviously intended to govern Christianity the same way Roman Emperors had traditionally governed the pagan religions, as the Pontifex Maximus (highest priest).
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Although he had previously confessed Christianity, he declared himself the Pontifex Maximus of pagans, frequented pagan temples, offered sacrifices, and invited his subjects to adopt that form of worship.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Roman Senate quickly elected two of the twenty, Pupienus Maximus and Caelius Balbinus, as Emperors.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.The senior Augustus also became unpopular with his own Roman troops because of his close association with so-called barbarians.^ And because of its close association with the great false church, this empire eventually assumed the name Holy Roman Empire.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This system now became apparent with the native Roman troops, largely due to the system which allowed distinguished officers to raise their own troops for the imperial service.

^ The Romans called them Germani because of their fierce, warring nature.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

He reportedly recruited Alans to his personal service and adopted the guise of a Scythian warrior for public appearances.
.Meanwhile Gratian, Valentinian II and Theodosius were joined by a fourth Augustus.^ The device of the king-making German commander may have begun with Arbogast , who was a Frankish Magister Militum under Gratian, Valentinian II, and Theodosius I. When Valentinian died, Arbogast raised the non-entity Eugenius to the Throne (392-394).
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Eastern Emperor Valens acknowledged him with the provision that Valentinian's sixteen year old son Gratian serve in that capacity until Valentinian II was somewhat older.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He wrote a long work of fifteen books criticizing the Christians; but it was ordered burned by Emperors Valentinian III and Theodosius II in 448, and only fragments remain.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.Theodosius proclaimed his oldest son Arcadius an Augustus in January 383 in an obvious attempt to secure succession.^ His soldiers, disregarding the rule of succession as determined by the system of Diocletian, proclaimed his son Constantine Emperor Six competitors for the throne arose in different quarters.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ On the death of Theodosius I (395), West and East fell to his sons Honorius and Arcadius, never again to be united.
  • Bible Encyclopedia: Roman 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC bibleencyclopedia.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In Rome Senator Licinianus attempted to become Emperor but was soon killed, and the two sons of Decius were proclaimed Augusti.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.The boy was still only five or six years old and held no actual authority.^ He became bishop six years later, and it was said that in the next quarter century he transformed this community that had had only 17 Christians to one that had only that many pagans.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ He was a boy scarce ten years old, the son of his daughter Amalasuentha, and he had lost his father Eutharic.
  • JORDANES DESCRIBES THE GOTHS' ENTRY AND WANDERINGS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Two years after the Edict of 380 all the churches in Constantinople were held by the Catholics, but other sects still existed in various parts of the empire.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

Nevertheless he was recognized as a co-ruler by all three Augusti.
.The increasing unpopularity of Gratian would cause the four Augusti problems later that same year.^ Gibbon wrote a truly monumental account of the story of the Empire, but he doesn't really propose us a "theory" of the causes of the fall, as most historians would do, later on.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Four years later regular shipment of African produce to Rome was instituted.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Even our leaders were better, they would face the same problems: there are no structures that can gently lead society to where it is going.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.Spanish Celt general Magnus Maximus, stationed in Roman Britain, was proclaimed Augustus by his troops in 383 and rebelling against Gratian he invaded Gaul.^ Maximus, a Roman general, led a rebellion in Britain that spread into Gaul.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It was therefore not uncommon for the troops of such client kings to fight alongside Roman forces in battle against the enemy.

^ He removed from the Roman Senate "that statue of the goddess Victory which Augustus had placed there in 29 BC and before which twelve generations of senators had taken their vows of allegiance to the emperor."
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

Gratian fled from Lutetia (Paris) to Lugdunum (Lyon), where he was assassinated on August 25 383 at the age of 25.
.Maximus was a firm believer of the Nicene Creed and introduced state persecution on charges of heresy, which brought him into conflict with Pope Siricius who argued that the Augustus had no authority over church matters.^ It was not voted by a church council; it was arbitrarily selected by one man, Theodosius, wielding his authority as the Pontifex Maximus (highest priest).
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Creed of Theodosius ("The Nicene Creed") We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He didn't even recognize the Emperor who "fell," Romulus Augustulus, as a successor of Augustus (neither did the East, for that matter).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.But he was an Emperor with popular support and his reputation survived in Romano-British tradition and gained him a place in the Mabinogion, compiled about a thousand years after his death.^ But the greatest of the 3rd century Emperors, like Aurelian, don't get popular books, movies, and BBC television epics made about them.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ His vigorous and successful conduct of this campaign against the pirates gained him great honor and reputation.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Prescott died before completing his work on Philip, but Motley wrote about him from the Dutch perspective in his chronicle of their 80-year (!
  • Best of Gibbon's DECLINE & FALL 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.his.com [Source type: Original source]

.Following Gratian's death, Maximus had to deal with Valentinian II, at the time only twelve years old, as the senior Augustus.^ The Eastern Emperor Valens acknowledged him with the provision that Valentinian's sixteen year old son Gratian serve in that capacity until Valentinian II was somewhat older.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Though by the time of Augustus, after the lengthy civil wars which had seen huge numbers of men at arms, the length of service had fallen back to between 6 and 10 years again.

^ He wrote a long work of fifteen books criticizing the Christians; but it was ordered burned by Emperors Valentinian III and Theodosius II in 448, and only fragments remain.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.The first few years the Alps would serve as the borders between the respective territories of the two rival Western Roman Emperors.^ If the west at first did not adapt the same method as the east, then it soon learnt its own lesson, when emperor Theodosius a few years later met the the western usurper Magnus Maximus in battle in AD 387.

^ Septimius Severus himself was one of the two Roman Emperors ( Constantius Chlorus was the other) to die (a natural death) at York (Eboracum) in Britain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Then I remembered that theological doctrines serve political purposes, and went looking to see what the Roman Emperors did.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.Maximus controlled Britain, Gaul, Hispania and Africa.^ Maximus, a Roman general, led a rebellion in Britain that spread into Gaul.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Western Empire was divided between Constantius in Gaul (France, Germany, Britain and Spain) and Maxentius in Italy and North Africa.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

He chose Augusta Treverorum (Trier) as his capital.
.Maximus soon entered negotiations with Valentinian II and Theodosius, attempting to gain their official recognition.^ He wrote a long work of fifteen books criticizing the Christians; but it was ordered burned by Emperors Valentinian III and Theodosius II in 448, and only fragments remain.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Theodosius acknowledged him on condition that he allow Gratian's twelve year old brother, Valentinian II, to rule in Italy.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Justina died, and Valentinian II, by the advice of Theodosius, placed himself under the guidance of Bishop Ambrose.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.By 384, negotiations were unfruitful and Maximus tried to press the matter by settling succession as only a legitimate Emperor could do: proclaiming his own infant son Flavius Victor an Augustus.^ Maximus proclaimed himself Emperor of the West.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ His soldiers, disregarding the rule of succession as determined by the system of Diocletian, proclaimed his son Constantine Emperor Six competitors for the throne arose in different quarters.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Constantius died, and his son Constantine was proclaimed Emperor of the West by his troops even though Maxentius was still the Caesar of Italy and Africa.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.The end of the year found the Empire having five Augusti (Valentinian II, Theodosius I, Arcadius, Magnus Maximus and Flavius Victor) with relations between them yet to be determined.^ If the west at first did not adapt the same method as the east, then it soon learnt its own lesson, when emperor Theodosius a few years later met the the western usurper Magnus Maximus in battle in AD 387.

^ The Eastern Emperor Valens acknowledged him with the provision that Valentinian's sixteen year old son Gratian serve in that capacity until Valentinian II was somewhat older.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Another was that Honorius and Arcadius, the two sons between whom Theodosius divided the Empire, were young and inexperienced.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Theodosius was left a widower in 385, following the sudden death of Aelia Flaccilla, his Augusta. He was remarried, to the sister of Valentinean II, Galla, and the marriage secured closer relations between the two legitimate Augusti.
.In 386 Maximus and Victor finally received official recognition by Theodosius but not by Valentinian.^ Maximus expelled Valentinian II, who fled with his mother to Thessalonica, whereupon Theodosius brought Valentinian II back to Italy with an army, defeated Maximus, and executed him.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

In 387, Maximus apparently decided to rid himself of his Italian rival. .He crossed the Alps into the valley of the Po and threatened Milan.^ So thorough were his preparations, he remained an entire year in Gaul, before, like his brother before him, he crossed the Alps and descended into northern Italy.

^ The Cimbri were to cross the Eastern Alps and join in the valley of the Po the Teutons, who were to force the defiles of the Western or Maritime Alps.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ There he mustered the garrison forces of the Po valley into an army and marched them north to meet the exhausted invaders descending from the mountains.

.Valentinian and his mother fled to Thessaloniki from where they sought the support of Theodosius.^ Maximus expelled Valentinian II, who fled with his mother to Thessalonica, whereupon Theodosius brought Valentinian II back to Italy with an army, defeated Maximus, and executed him.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.Theodosius indeed campaigned west in 388 and was victorious against Maximus.^ Theodosius led a successful campaign against the Visigoths, forced them to sue for peace, and proceeded to Thessalonica (a city in northeastern Greece) at the end of the year.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The need for legions in the west caused the Romans to end the war against Persia without a settlement in 233, and the next year a campaign was prepared against the Alamanni.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Revolt of Magnus Maximus, with Merobaudes, defeated by Theodosius I at Aquileia, 388 .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Maximus himself was captured and executed in Aquileia on July 28 388.^ Revolt of Magnus Maximus, with Merobaudes, defeated by Theodosius I at Aquileia, 388 .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Magister militum Arbogast was sent to Trier with orders to also kill Flavius Victor.^ Stilicho himself was then the successor of Arbogast as Magister Militum .
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Theodosius restored Valentinian to power and through his influence had him converted to Orthodox Catholicism.^ Maximus expelled Valentinian II, who fled with his mother to Thessalonica, whereupon Theodosius brought Valentinian II back to Italy with an army, defeated Maximus, and executed him.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Had his money bought him his power and influence so far, as a politician he had always been the poor relation to his partners in the triumvirate.

^ The Visigothic king Reccared in 589 was not converting from paganism to Christianity, but from the heterodox Arian form of Christianity, advocated by Wulfila himself, to orthodox Catholicism.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Theodosius continued supporting Valentinian and protecting him from a variety of usurpations.^ Scipio Nasica meanwhile was posted to the new province of Asia, in order to protect him from the wrath of any Gracchan supporters.

^ Theodosius acknowledged him on condition that he allow Gratian's twelve year old brother, Valentinian II, to rule in Italy.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Maximus expelled Valentinian II, who fled with his mother to Thessalonica, whereupon Theodosius brought Valentinian II back to Italy with an army, defeated Maximus, and executed him.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

Reunification under Theodosius (392–395)

File:Theodosius I's empire.png
.The division of the empire after the death of Theodosius I, c. 395, superimposed on modern borders.^ On the death of Theodosius I (395), West and East fell to his sons Honorius and Arcadius, never again to be united.
  • Bible Encyclopedia: Roman 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC bibleencyclopedia.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Roman Empire looked fine in 395, the year of the death of Theodosius the Great .
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

██ Western Roman Empire

██ Eastern Roman Empire

Main article: Theodosian dynasty
In 392 Valentinian II was murdered in Vienne. .Arbogast arranged for the appointment of Eugenius as emperor.^ The lesson was not immediately learnt by the western empire and in AD 392 Arbogast and his puppet emperor Eugenius saw their infantry defeated by the Gothic horsemen of Theodosius.

.However, Theodosius refused to recognise Eugenius as emperor and invaded the Western Empire, defeating and killing Arbogast and Eugenius at the Battle of the Frigidus.^ Revolt by Arbogast with figurehead Eugenius, defeated at Frigidus River, 394 .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Theodosius refused to recognize him.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If the west at first did not adapt the same method as the east, then it soon learnt its own lesson, when emperor Theodosius a few years later met the the western usurper Magnus Maximus in battle in AD 387.

.He now reunited the entire Roman Empire under his own rule.^ The Holy Roman Empire hands down its own traditions through the surviving families, and it has never suffered a conquest by any foreign power.

^ Germans Sarmatians, Arabs, Armenians, Persians, Moors; all were not subjects of the empire and now stood to the Roman army in the same relation as once the auxiliaries had done.

^ Incidentally, we can't rule out that at some moment at the time of the Roman Empire there was something like a "Roman ASPO", maybe "ASPE," the "association for the study of peak empire".
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.Theodosius had two sons and a daughter, Pulcheria, from his first wife, Aelia Flacilla.^ Another was that Honorius and Arcadius, the two sons between whom Theodosius divided the Empire, were young and inexperienced.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Emperor Honorius was powerless to resist even when his sister Placidia, the daughter of the Emperor Theodosius by his second wife, was led away captive from the city.
  • JORDANES DESCRIBES THE GOTHS' ENTRY AND WANDERINGS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.His daughter and wife died in 385. By his second wife, Galla, he had a daughter, Galla Placidia, the mother of Valentinian III, who would be Emperor of the West.^ But above all he declared and avowed with threats that he would bring worse things upon Italy, unless they sent him Honoria, the sister of the Emperor Valentinian and daughter of Augusta Placidia, with her due share of the royal wealth.
  • JORDANES DESCRIBES THE GOTHS' ENTRY AND WANDERINGS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ One of the most interesting people in the diagram is the Empress Galla Placidia, the daughter of Theodosius I, the wife of Constantius III, and the mother of Valentinian III. With Honorius and Constantius she was buried in the chapel of Saints Nazarius and Celsus in Ravenna.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Since Theodosius II was already identified as the 45th Emperor, there is no number left for Valentinian (Emperor since 425), let alone Constantius III or John, who had been legitimate Emperors of the West.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Theodosius was the last Emperor who ruled over the whole Empire.^ [Sozomen VII, xxix] The Catholic Encyclopedia says: "Theodosius stands out as the destroyer of heresy and paganism, as the last sovereign of the undivided empire."
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ A very poor excuse for an "empire," Trebizond spent much of its existence in vassalage to the Mongols and Turks who ruled the plateau behind it.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The conquest of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade did not result in the establishment of the authority of the Latin Emperors over the whole of the previous Empire.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.After his death in 395, he gave the two halves of the Empire to his two sons Arcadius and Honorius; Arcadius became ruler in the East, with his capital in Constantinople, and Honorius became ruler in the West, with his capital in Milan and later Ravenna.^ Rome was the capital in the west, Constantinople in the east.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ His eleven year old son Honorius became Emperor of the West, and his eighteen year old son Arcadius became Emperor of the East.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He sent for his son Honorius from Constantinople.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.Though the Roman state would continue to have two emperors, the Eastern Romans considered themselves Roman in full.^ Byzantine emperors of the Eastern Roman .
  • Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history-world.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Romans were then not sacrificing themselves for the "community" but for the Emperor.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The sentiment and belief which prompted the offerings of gifts and prayers to the guardian spirits of the family would naturally lead to similar offerings to the spirit of the departed Cæsar, father of the Roman state.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Latin was used in official writings as much as, if not more than, Greek.^ Also Greek rather than Latin began to be used for all official purposes.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Yet the Alexandrian successor states of Egypt, Syria and Macedon, as well as smaller Greek kingdoms and Leagues were reduced to little more than the status of client states.

^ He was very much more than a mere match for the Roman forces sent to deal with him.

.The two halves were nominally, culturally and historically, if not politically, the same state.^ Curious how the attitude stays the same despite the changes in culture, faith, politics, etc.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Well, the first two hundred years of Roman history do make a pretty compact cultural and historical unit.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

The decline of the West (395–476)

Main article: Decline of the Roman Empire
.After 395, the emperors in the Western Roman Empire were usually figureheads.^ Western roman empire..
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Count of the Holy Roman Empire, for Festus O'Kelly, of Tycooly, to whom the remainder was granted) by Emperor Francis I, on 25th November 1767.

^ Some Visigoths fled with Athanaric into the mountains of Transylvania, but the majority petitioned the emperor Valens to be taken into the Roman Empire.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

For most of the time, the actual rulers were military strongmen who took the title of magister militum, patrician or both—Stilicho from 395 to 408, Constantius from about 411 to 421, Aëtius from 433 to 454 and Ricimer from about 457 to 472.

The fall of the Western Roman Empire

.In June 474, Julius Nepos became Western Emperor.^ The emperor agreed, and before long Odoacer took care of Julius Nepos as well (480).
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ One commander, Gundobad, was already king of the Burgundians and simply returned to his tribe when Julius Nepos and Orestes deposed him (and his puppet emperor Glycerius) in 473.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.In 475, the Magister militum, Orestes, revolted and made his son Romulus Augustus the Roman emperor.^ Here he tarried while he made his son Romulus Augustulus emperor.
  • JORDANES DESCRIBES THE GOTHS' ENTRY AND WANDERINGS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ He removed from the Roman Senate "that statue of the goddess Victory which Augustus had placed there in 29 BC and before which twelve generations of senators had taken their vows of allegiance to the emperor."
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It was Charles, son of Philip and Joanna, who was crowned Roman emperor in 1520 as Charles v .
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

.Nepos fled to the province of Dalmatia.^ When Nepos learned of this, he fled to Dalmatia and died there, deprived of his throne, in the very place where Glycerius, who was formerly emperor, held at that time the bishopric of Salona.
  • JORDANES DESCRIBES THE GOTHS' ENTRY AND WANDERINGS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Romulus, however, was not recognized by the Eastern Emperor Zeno and so was technically an usurper, Nepos still being the legal Western Emperor.^ That would be difficult, since the eastern emperor already recognized someone else as western emperor: Julius Nepos, who had been overthrown by Orestes in 475 but who was still holding out in Dalmatia (in Diocletian's own retirement palace, which made a very nice fortified town all through the Middle Ages).
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This insight ran a hundred years earlier than Constantine - to Emperor Diocletian who initiated the divided between eastern and western Roman Empires.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Though naturally the eastern horse-archers were still sought to provide their skill in ranged combat to the fierce charge of the western heavy cavalry.

.Nevertheless, Romulus Augustus is often known as the last Western Roman Emperor.^ LAST WESTERN EMPERORS [names in brackets not recognized by East] .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The last Western Emperor really worthy of the name was probably Majorian, who was a military man in his own right and operated with success in Gaul and Spain.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He removed from the Roman Senate "that statue of the goddess Victory which Augustus had placed there in 29 BC and before which twelve generations of senators had taken their vows of allegiance to the emperor."
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.The year 476 is generally accepted as the end of the Western Roman Empire.^ Western roman empire..
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ A few years later, the Roman general Germanicus, nephew of Emperor Tiberius, went back to Teutoburg with no less than eight legions.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "Odoacer (or Odovacar), the first barbarian ruler of Italy on the downfall of the Western empire, was born in the district bordering on the middle Danube about the year 434.

That year, Orestes refused the request of Germanic mercenaries in his service for lands in Italy. The dissatisfied mercenaries, including the Heruli, revolted. The revolt was led by the Germanic chieftain Odoacer. Odoacer and his men captured and executed Orestes. .Within weeks, Ravenna was captured and Romulus Augustus was deposed, the event that has been traditionally considered the fall of the Roman Empire, at least in the West.^ The dynamic fall of the Roman Empire .
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They would soon become a loose cannon within the Empire, shattering essential supports of Roman power as the tribe rolled around.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Edward Gibbon, author of the massive Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1788), was a learned man, if ever there was one.

Odoacer quickly conquered the remaining provinces of Italy.
The Western and Eastern Roman Empires by 476
.Odoacer then sent the Imperial Regalia back to the emperor Zeno.^ He sent the imperial regalia back to Constantinople and informed the emperor that he would be content with his Roman military title and recognition as a German king.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Since the titular emperor was Orestes's young son, known as "Augustulus," the "little Augustus," Odoacer sent him packing to a monastery.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ One of the rebel commanders "obtained possession of the imperial chariot, and sent word to the emperor that his wife was traveling towards his camp.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

Zeno soon received two deputations. .One was from Odoacer requesting that his control of Italy be formally recognized by the Empire, in which case he would acknowledge Zeno's supremacy.^ "Odoacer (or Odovacar), the first barbarian ruler of Italy on the downfall of the Western empire, was born in the district bordering on the middle Danube about the year 434.

^ Knowing their case futile, the Carthaginians took on the might of the Roman empire one last time.

^ When Justinian recognized the supremacy of the pope in 554, the Roman Empire was revived.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

The other deputation was from Nepos, asking for support to regain the throne. Zeno granted Odoacer the title Patrician.
.Zeno told Odoacer and the Roman Senate to take Nepos back; however, Nepos never returned from Dalmatia, even though Odoacer issued coins in his name.^ Zeno returned a harsh answer to the senate, requiring them to return to their allegiance to Nepos.

^ Not only was he a Latin speaking Roman emperor, but after Odoacer's coup in 476, he was the Roman emperor, with the regalia of the West duly returned to him.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Souls are divine; even though they have fallen into the world, they will return to God.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.Upon Nepos's death in 480, Zeno claimed Dalmatia for the East; J. B. Bury considers this the real end of the Western Roman Empire.^ Western roman empire..
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This insight ran a hundred years earlier than Constantine - to Emperor Diocletian who initiated the divided between eastern and western Roman Empires.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The line of better Roman Emperors chosen by ability and experience ended in 180 when Commodus, the son of Marcus Aurelius , became sole Emperor at his father's death.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.Odoacer attacked Dalmatia, and the ensuing war ended with Theodoric the Great, King of the Ostrogoths, conquering Italy under Zeno's authority.^ IV] 376 The Huns had conquered the Ostrogoths north of the Black Sea and pressed on westward to attack the Visigoths in Dacia (now part of Romania and Hungary).
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ By the end of World War ii ,” he wrote, “all cities of over 50,000 population in Germany were left in a heap of ruins, and also a great many smaller towns.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They were the Ostrogoths , already the rulers of Italy since 493, trying to retake Rome after a Roman army, led by the great general Belisarius , had begun the reconquest of Italy.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

The East Roman Empire and Barbaric Kingdoms in 480
The next seven decades played out as aftermath. .Theodoric was King of the Ostrogoths, but couched his claim to Italy in diplomatic terms as being the representative of the Emperor of the East.^ Byzantines); by the seventh century a term for the Christian empire of the east; from the thirteenth century, used of the former lands of the Byzantine empire which had been partitioned and were being governed by the Venetians, Franks and other westerners.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ By 493 Theodoric the Ostrogoth, invited by the Emperor Anastasius, had taken out Odoacer in Italy.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The details of the Ostrogothic invasion of Italy belong properly to the life of Theodoric.

.Consuls were appointed regularly through his reign: a formula for the consular appointment is provided in Cassiodorus's Book VI. The post of consul was last filled in the west by Theodoric's successor, Athalaric, until he died in 534. Ironically the Gothic War in Italy, which was meant as the reconquest of a lost province for the Emperor of the East and a re-establishment of the continuity of power, actually caused more damage and cut more ties of continuity with the Antique world than the attempts of Theodoric and his minister Cassiodorus to meld Roman and Gothic culture within a Roman form.^ Bilingualism continued until the separation of the empire into East and West.

^ The culture and religion are still pagan, the office of emperor maintains some pretense of republican form, Roman power is more or less triumphant and unchallenged, and there are those wonderfully entertaining "decadent" emperors, upon whom every indulgence and sexual excess can be projected (which may actually be what the Roman historians were doing themselves).
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For more than five centuries they presided over a multi-ethnic empire that was nearly always at war, if not with neighbors then with rebellious factions within the empire itself.

.The western empire though, was unable to support itself because of population concerns.^ The percentages of people who died in the Empire may compare with those of the Black Death in the 14th century, though by then the population of Europe had grown much larger.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So the western Empire crumbled, not because of decadence, not because of Christianity, not because of pagan hordes, but because of the scrupulous observance of the privileges of citizenship.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

As much as 80% of the population was estimated to live in the eastern realm. .In addition, the Western Empire lacked sufficient military resources to maintain order and to secure borders.^ So, I think the explanation is that the Romans lacked the economic resources to develop new lands because they had concentrated all they had into the military.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "Odoacer (or Odovacar), the first barbarian ruler of Italy on the downfall of the Western empire, was born in the district bordering on the middle Danube about the year 434.

^ We know that the Roman Empire was based mainly on two kinds of resources: military and agricultural.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.However, by AD 300, they only had an estimated 500,000 troops, which meant that they could not control the territory the empire possessed.^ In 455 they did what Hannibal could only have dreamed of, arriving at Rome by sea, breaking into and looting the city, and carrying the booty back to Carthage.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ BC) In the same year, as Marcus Helvius was leaving Hispania Ulterior for home with 6,000 troops they were ambushed near the town of Iliturgi by 20,000 Celtiberians.

^ But they were hunted so efficiently that, by end 19th century, it is estimated that in the Oceans there were only 50 females left of the species that was most hunted: the "right whale."
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.Therefore, they became increasingly vulnerable to attacks from the outside of the imperial borders.^ But when their kings acquired the right to be crowned Roman emperors, they themselves became the imperial race.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

.Finally, an economic crisis later hit the empire, which arose from the lack of plunder of outlying territories and of slaves from Roman conquests.^ The Holy Roman Empire hands down its own traditions through the surviving families, and it has never suffered a conquest by any foreign power.

^ This webpage reproduces a chapter of History of the Later Roman Empire by J. B. Bury published by Macmillan & Co., Ltd., 1923 The text is in the public domain.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVI 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ So, what was important with the collapse of the Roman Empire is not whether or not there was an emperor in Rome (or, as it was the case later, in Ravenna).
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.In essence, the "fall" of the Roman Empire to a contemporary of that age depended a great deal on where they were and their status in the world.^ Roman world they had .
  • Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history-world.org [Source type: Original source]

^ The dynamic fall of the Roman Empire .
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They were the Ostrogoths , already the rulers of Italy since 493, trying to retake Rome after a Roman army, led by the great general Belisarius , had begun the reconquest of Italy.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

On the great villas of the Italian Campagna, the seasons rolled on without a hitch. The local overseer may have been representing an Ostrogoth, then a Lombard duke, then a Christian bishop, but the rhythm of life and the horizons of the imagined world remained the same. .Even in the decayed cities of Italy consuls were still elected.^ Pompey, was elected sole consul and was commissioned to restore order in the ever more riotous city of Rome.

^ Constantius died, and his son Constantine was proclaimed Emperor of the West by his troops even though Maxentius was still the Caesar of Italy and Africa.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

.In Auvergne, at Clermont, the Gallo-Roman poet and diplomat Sidonius Apollinaris, bishop of Clermont, realized that the local "fall of Rome" came in 475, with the fall of the city to the Visigoth Euric.^ Indeed, perhaps Rome did "fall" in the Third Century, if by the "Roman Empire" we mean a state ruled, controlled, and centered in the City of Rome.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I'm not arguing that LtG is wrong, it just doesn't explain the fall of the Rome as it does not explain the fall of the Roman empire.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ When we realize how much was preserved, in literature, art, and institutions, at Constantinople from the soi disant "Fall of Rome," it helps us realize how much Mediaeval Romania was, indeed, still the Roman Empire, just as they tell us.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.In the north of Gaul, a Roman kingdom existed for some years and the Franks had their links to the Roman administration and military as well.^ This small town, whose military garrison never exceeded 8,000, was to go down in history for resisting continuous Roman attacks for nine years.

^ A. THE ADVENT OF THE TURKS, 1059-1185, 126 years 1060 AD -- Romanian territory is intact, but the military and financial foundations of Roman power have been undermined.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The eastern potentate might well apprehend danger to his own kingdom in the expansion of the Roman Empire by the reconquest of its lost provinces.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVI 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.In Hispania the last Arian Visigothic king Liuvigild considered himself the heir of Rome.^ Rome inherits the Kingdom of Pergamum In 133 BC king Attalus III of Pergamum died without heirs.

^ The war which thus began lasted five years, and in each year the king himself took the field.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVI 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ The Visigothic king Reccared in 589 was not converting from paganism to Christianity, but from the heterodox Arian form of Christianity, advocated by Wulfila himself, to orthodox Catholicism.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Hispania Baetica was still essentially Roman when the Moors came in 711, but in the northwest, the invasion of the Suevi broke the last frail links with Roman culture in 409. In Aquitania and Provence, cities like Arles were not abandoned, but Roman culture in Britain collapsed in waves of violence after the last legions evacuated: the final legionary probably left Britain in 409.

Revival in the West to Holy Roman Empire (800–1806)

Main article: Holy Roman Empire
.324 years after Odoacer abdicated Romulus Augustulus, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as King of the Romans, and as Imperator Augustus, attempting to revive the empire in the west.^ When Justinian recognized the supremacy of the pope in 554, the Roman Empire was revived.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Pope Leo placed on his head a crown, .
  • Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history-world.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Rome; that Pope Leo III had been attacked by .
  • Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history-world.org [Source type: Original source]

.The Holy Roman Empire was a conscious attempt to resurrect the Western Roman Empire, which is considered to have ended with the abdication of Romulus Augustulus in 476. The Emperors thought of themselves as continuing the function of the Roman Emperors in defending, governing and supporting the Church.^ Western roman empire..
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Romans were then not sacrificing themselves for the "community" but for the Emperor.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Holy Roman Empire restored the Western Empire, extinct since 476, he welded .
  • Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history-world.org [Source type: Original source]

.The Holy Roman Empire consisted of some of the territories of the ancient empire, along with all of modern-day Germany, and some of modern-day Poland.^ Rome as the resurrected “Holy Roman Empire.” .
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Holy Roman Empire hands down its own traditions through the surviving families, and it has never suffered a conquest by any foreign power.

^ Some accounts of the Roman Empire make it seem larger by adding in the area of the Mediterranean Sea (the Mare Nostrum , entirely enclosed by Roman territory), which from Gibraltar to the Bosporus is 2.51 million km 2 , giving a grand total of 6.26 million km 2 .
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Although most of the emperors were German, the Holy Roman Emperors thought of themselves as being in direct succession of those of the Roman Empire and called themselves Augusti.^ Romans were then not sacrificing themselves for the "community" but for the Emperor.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For the next 800 years, German kings called themselves “Roman emperors of the German nation.” .
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Rome as the resurrected “Holy Roman Empire.” .
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Empire was formally dissolved on August 6, 1806 when the last Holy Roman Emperor, Francis II abdicated, following a military defeat by the French under Napoleon, thus removing the last traces of the Roman Empire as an existing political entity in the West.^ Historians agree that the Roman Empire existed from 3 1 b.c .
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Eventually, the Empire disappeared also as a political entity.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Rome as the resurrected “Holy Roman Empire.” .
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

Eastern Roman Empire to Byzantine Empire (395–1453)

Main article: Byzantine Empire
Near East in 600 AD, showing the Eastern Roman "Byzantine" Empire before the Persian and Arab wars.
.As the Western Roman Empire declined during the 5th century, the richer Eastern Roman Empire would be spared much of the destruction, and in the 6th century the Eastern Roman Empire under the emperor Justinian I reconquered the Italian peninsula from the Ostrogoths, North Africa from the Vandals, southern Hispania, and parts of Illyria.^ Western roman empire..
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Byzantine emperors of the Eastern Roman .
  • Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history-world.org [Source type: Original source]

^ (In the third century, Greek was the administrative language in the eastern part of the Roman Empire.

.Justinian's conquest of Italy and southern Hispania were somewhat ephemeral, but North Africa served the Byzantines for another century; Illyria almost a millennium.^ After Cannae Hannibal almost reigned supreme in southern Italy.

^ No less that four foreign cultures have been planted into North Africa over the centuries.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Yet could Rome another test of strength against Pyrrhus now that he enjoyed the alliance of all of southern Italy?

.Of the many accepted dates for the end of the Roman state, the latest is 610. This is when the Emperor Heraclius made sweeping reforms, forever changing the face of the empire.^ This chapter has been published in the book ROMAN EMPIRE 30 BC to 610 .
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ The office of the Roman Consuls, and dating by them, continues under the Empire until Justinian .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ From this decisive battle (31 B.C.) are usually dated the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Greek was readopted as the language of government and Latin influence waned.^ Diocletian's Empire had Latin as its court language, but it was no longer based in Rome or governed or defended by natives of Latium.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Posted by mharrsch at 9:25 AM Labels: bilingual , Cicero , education , Greek , language , Latin , Roman Empire , slavery , Tarentum .

^ Gygax also noted that "Pictor was influenced by Greek historiographic models and may have felt that Greek was the most adequate language for writing history in prose."

.By 610, the Eastern Roman Empire had come under Greek influence and became what many modern historians now call the Byzantine Empire, although the Empire was never called that way by its contemporaries (rather it was called Romania, Basileia Romaion or Pragmata Romaion, meaning "Land of the Romans", "Kingdom of the Romans").^ Byzantine emperors of the Eastern Roman .
  • Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history-world.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Historians agree that the Roman Empire existed from 3 1 b.c .
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This is a strange way to put it, since "Latins and Greeks" practically means everybody , while no contemporaries called Romania "the Eastern Empire."
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The sack of Constantinople at the hands of the Fourth Crusade in 1204 is sometimes used to date the end of Eastern Roman Empire: the destruction of Constantinople and most of its ancient treasures, total discontinuity of leadership, and the division of its lands into rival states with a Catholic-controlled "Emperor" in Constantinople itself (see Latin Empire) was a blow from which the Empire never fully recovered.^ The city’s lands were impounded by the Roman state.

^ The eastern empire in Constantinople was virtually powerless.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Byzantine emperors of the Eastern Roman .
  • Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history-world.org [Source type: Original source]

.However, the Byzantines continued to call themselves Romans until their fall to Ottoman Turks in 1453. That year the eastern part of the Roman Empire was ultimately ended by the Fall of Constantinople.^ The eastern empire in Constantinople was virtually powerless.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Without the Ottomans, it endured 1123 years, until 1453.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The dynamic fall of the Roman Empire .
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.Even though Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople, declared himself the Emperor of the Roman Empire (Caesar of Rome / Kayser-i Rum), Constantine XI, emperor of the Byzantine Empire during 1453, is usually considered the last Roman Emperor.^ Byzantine emperors of the Eastern Roman .
  • Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history-world.org [Source type: Original source]

^ The Roman empire does not equal Rome.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Decius and Herennius were killed in battle by the Goths in 251 -- the only Roman Emperors to die in battle (against external enemies) besides Julian (against the Persians, 363), Valens (against the Goths again, 378), Nicephorus I (against the Bulgars, 811), and Constantine XI (with the fall of Constantinople to the Turks, 1453).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Greek ethnic self-descriptive name Roman survives to this day.^ Thus was foreshadowed the day when all freemen throughout the whole empire should be Roman in name and privilege.
  • Imperial Rome 22 September 2009 21:19 UTC www.shsu.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ In the early days of the dynasty we get a benchmark on the survival of Classical and later Greek literature.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I use Roman names for the planets in the sky, which also get applied to the days of the week .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

Language

.The language of Rome before its expansion was Latin and this became the Empire's official language.^ Diocletian's Empire had Latin as its court language, but it was no longer based in Rome or governed or defended by natives of Latium.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ [The Papacy was officially established in 444 by the emperor Valentinian III. He gave the Bishop of Rome authority over all other churches in the Western Empire.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Posted by mharrsch at 9:25 AM Labels: bilingual , Cicero , education , Greek , language , Latin , Roman Empire , slavery , Tarentum .

.By the time of the imperial period Latin can be thought of as at least two languages: the written Classical Latin and the spoken Vulgar Latin.^ The Second Samnite War The period between the Great Latin War and the Second Samnite War saw the two main military powers jostling for position on the Italian mainland.

^ Here the Persian monarch waited for some time, having received a message that two Imperial ambassadors 84 were on their way to him.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVI 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

.Classical Latin evolved along its own lines from an early stage of the spoken language and by this time was not exactly the same as spoken Latin of any period.^ Illyria was divided into three republics along the same lines.

^ "It was the language spoken by educated people at the time," the professor remarked.

^ At the same time he marked his own high pretensions by assuming the prefix Flavius, a reminiscence of the early emperors, to which the barbarian rulers of realms formed out of the Roman state seem to have been peculiarly partial.

.It remained relatively stable throughout the imperial period and even through the Middle Ages, apart from stylistic changes.^ There were shameful exceptions to this toleration, but through the Middle Ages the overwhelming majority of Church authorities staunchly condemned attacks on the Jews.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Although sacked by the Goths, the Huns, and the Lombards, Venetia remained the most important city of the region for most of the middle ages.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For the next four centuries of the Roman Empire it was the required study of all educated people, and it remained popular in the Middle Ages right down to the modern day.

.As with any spoken language Vulgar Latin was fluid, differing in various regions of the Empire and changing substantially over time.^ Diocletian's Empire had Latin as its court language, but it was no longer based in Rome or governed or defended by natives of Latium.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "It was the language spoken by educated people at the time," the professor remarked.

^ Posted by mharrsch at 9:25 AM Labels: bilingual , Cicero , education , Greek , language , Latin , Roman Empire , slavery , Tarentum .

.In the western provinces Vulgar Latin became the lingua franca and later evolved into the modern Romance languages: Italian, Spanish, French, etc.^ The unified country itself became first "Roumania" or "Rumania," later further Latinized into "România," and soon the Cyrillic alphabet was traded in for the Latin alphabet, as the Roman roots of the people were increasingly emphasized.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In Switzerland we do have Italian speakers, but there is also a separate Romance language, Romansh, part of the Rhaeto-Romance group ( Rätoromanische Sprache -- named after the Roman province of Raetia).
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Alemanni also will be less active later, remaining in Germany and leaving their name as the word for "German" in Romance languages.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Although Latin remained the official language of the Imperial administration through the fall of Rome and for some centuries after in the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire, the Greek language was always the primary language used in the eastern provinces for administration outside the Imperial court.^ The dynamic fall of the Roman Empire .
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Byzantine emperors of the Eastern Roman .
  • Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history-world.org [Source type: Original source]

^ He had some kind of job with the imperial administration in Rome.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

[6] .In fact, Greek was the most widely spoken language in the Empire, mainly owing to the larger urban centers and Greek legacy in the East.^ Posted by mharrsch at 9:25 AM Labels: bilingual , Cicero , education , Greek , language , Latin , Roman Empire , slavery , Tarentum .

^ "Greek was the international language spoken all around the Mediterranean," noted Suzie Raga.

^ If "the Greeks" are calling the Empire "Romania," then clearly this is the name of the Empire to its own subjects , yet Vasiliev manages to admit this only in the most obscure and roundabout way.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Even in the city of Rome itself Greek became the language of the educated and the elite.^ The city of Rome itself still remained safe.

^ By Augustus' reign, there were so many different languages spoken by the common people in Rome that when mime and pantomime theater was introduced, it became far more popular than the traditional Greek theater presentations.

^ There were, moreover, Latin cities which even allied with the Gauls against her, thereby forcing the rest of the Latins, however reluctantly, to throw themselves under the protection of Rome.

[7] .By the 2nd century BC more than 15% of Rome's population spoke Greek, and that proportion continued to grow.^ Meanwhile the proportion of the population tied to Rome by blood and so entitled will be growing...
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For more than five centuries they presided over a multi-ethnic empire that was nearly always at war, if not with neighbors then with rebellious factions within the empire itself.

^ It was such a burden for the Empire that it destroyed it utterly in little more than a century.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.Greek became the common language in the Church, the language of scholarship and the arts, and, to a large degree, the lingua franca for trade between provinces and with other nations.^ By Augustus' reign, there were so many different languages spoken by the common people in Rome that when mime and pantomime theater was introduced, it became far more popular than the traditional Greek theater presentations.

^ Ashur lived at the city of Nieve; and named his subjects Assyrians, who became the most fortunate nation, beyond others ” ( Antiquities , i, vi, 4).
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Written in Greek between 140 CE and 340, the Alexander Romance was so popular that it was translated into 24 languages and proliferated into eighty versions.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

.The language itself gained a dual nature, somewhat like Latin, with the primary spoken language, Koine Greek, existing alongside the literary language, a variant of the ancient Attic Greek dialect (the former later evolved into what became known as Medieval or Byzantine Greek).^ The units, though most likely of superb quality, spoke different languages and had no experience of fighting alongside each other as an army.

^ Herrin makes it sound like Constantine's subjects are ordinarily addressed as "Byzantines" and that he has used some novel expression to remind them of the "pagan Greeks and Romans."
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Written in Greek between 140 CE and 340, the Alexander Romance was so popular that it was translated into 24 languages and proliferated into eighty versions.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

[8]
.By the 4th century Greek no longer held such dominance over Latin as it had, resulting to a great extent from the growth and development of the western provinces.^ Rome no longer dominated a Latin alliance.

^ For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Diocletian's Empire had Latin as its court language, but it was no longer based in Rome or governed or defended by natives of Latium.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.This is reflected in the publication in the early 5th century of the Vulgate Bible, the first truly official Latin translation of the Bible (there had been previous unofficial Latin translations of non-uniform quality but the formally accepted translations were Greek).^ While he was young in Alexandria, Origen wrote On Principles (De Principiis) , which except for fragments only exists in the Latin translation made by Rufinus in the late fourth century.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Christianity thus brewed itself up over a couple of centuries as the first multicultural religion, a peculiarly Roman, which is to say a Latinized, Hellenistic, Middle Eastern religion.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Also Greek rather than Latin began to be used for all official purposes.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.As the Western Empire declined, the number of people who spoke both Greek and Latin declined as well, contributing greatly to the future EastWest, OrthodoxCatholic and ByzantineFrankish cultural divides in Europe.^ Of course, when we realize that "Romania" was used in French as well as in Latin and Greek, this makes it all the more peculiar that the principal "Byzantine" histories should not explain, discuss, or sometimes even mention the word.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Bilingualism continued until the separation of the empire into East and West.

^ An empire in fatal decline - but even the west survived 70 shorts years thereafter.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.Important as both languages were, today the descendants of Latin are widely spoken in many parts of the world, while the Greek dialects are limited mostly to Greece, Cyprus, and small enclaves in Turkey.^ By the way, a descendent of Du Pérac’s book is still in print in Rome today and is sold in the thousands at $35 per copy for the large size and $20 for the small.

^ By Augustus' reign, there were so many different languages spoken by the common people in Rome that when mime and pantomime theater was introduced, it became far more popular than the traditional Greek theater presentations.

^ Posted by mharrsch at 9:25 AM Labels: bilingual , Cicero , education , Greek , language , Latin , Roman Empire , slavery , Tarentum .

.To some degree this can be attributed to the fact that the western provinces fell mainly to "Latinized", Christian tribes, whereas the eastern provinces fell to Muslim Arabs and Turks for whom Greek held less significance in their cultures.^ His increasing power rendered him too formidable to the Byzantine court, with whom his relations had for some time been growing less friendly.

^ Christianity thus brewed itself up over a couple of centuries as the first multicultural religion, a peculiarly Roman, which is to say a Latinized, Hellenistic, Middle Eastern religion.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The only major German tribe that wasn't Christian was the Franks , and they never even got near Rome, much less sacked it.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Many other languages existed in the multi-ethnic Empire as well, and some of these were given limited official status in their provinces at various times.^ And these assignments persisted for some time.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The official text of the present constitutional Charter was drawn up in English and German and every version in any other language must use it as a reference.

^ For more than five centuries they presided over a multi-ethnic empire that was nearly always at war, if not with neighbors then with rebellious factions within the empire itself.

.Notably, by the beginning of the Middle Ages, Syriac and Aramaic had become more widely used by the educated classes in the far eastern provinces.^ A world with less crude oil, or with no crude oil at all, cannot be the same world we are used to, but it doesn't need to be the Middle Ages again.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Meanwhile, another North African author, far less accomplished as a writer, nevertheless made an epochal contribution to the character of education in the Middle Ages.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ During the Middle Ages, however, I've found less use of Romania in the West and, especially after 800, more references to the 'empire of the Greeks'.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

[9] Similarly Coptic and Armenian became significant among the educated in Egypt and Armenia, respectively.

Legacy

.Several states have claimed to be the Roman Empire's successor after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.^ Western roman empire..
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The dynamic fall of the Roman Empire .
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Edward Gibbon, author of the massive Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1788), was a learned man, if ever there was one.

.First was the Byzantine Empire, the modern historiographical term used for later period of the Eastern Roman Empire.^ Byzantine emperors of the Eastern Roman .
  • Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC history-world.org [Source type: Original source]

^ This webpage reproduces a chapter of History of the Later Roman Empire by J. B. Bury published by Macmillan & Co., Ltd., 1923 The text is in the public domain.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVI 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Eagles were used by many to imply Roman antecedents, but the double headed eagle was adopted in particular by the Holy Roman Empire , by Imperial Russia , and by the Serbs .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.Then the Holy Roman Empire, an attempt to resurrect the Empire in the West, was established in 800 when Pope Leo III crowned Frankish King Charlemagne as Roman Emperor on Christmas Day, though the empire and the imperial office did not become formalized for some decades.^ Remember that when Charlemagne was crowned, the pope called him emperor of the fourth world empire.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For some time, the Roman Empire endured without an emperor.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Rome as the resurrected “Holy Roman Empire.” .
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

.After the fall of Constantinople, the Russian Tsardom, as inheritor of the Byzantine Empire's Orthodox Christian tradition, counted itself the third Rome (with Constantinople being the second).^ The Fall of Constantinople in 1453 itself is one of the traditional termination dates for the Middle Ages, though less popular than Columbus in 1492.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Then he demonstrated by scriptures and the apostolic tradition why orthodox Christian theology is better.
  • Roman Empire In Turmoil 180-285 by Sanderson Beck 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.san.beck.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Not only did Constantine begin to institute Christianity, but the city of Rome itself had along the way assumed a very secondary importance in the life of the state.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.And when the Ottomans, who based their state on the Byzantine model, took Constantinople in 1453, Mehmed II established his capital there and claimed to sit on the throne of the Roman Empire, and he even went so far as to launch an invasion of Italy with the purpose of "re-uniting the Empire", although Papal and Neapolitan armies stopped his march on Rome at Otranto in 1480. Constantinople was not officially renamed Istanbul until March 28, 1930.^ Rome was the capital in the west, Constantinople in the east.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Roman army marched from Greece to the Dardanelles in preparation for an invasion.

^ There is a combined church and state in the Holy Roman Empire.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

.Excluding these states claiming its heritage, the Roman state lasted (in some form) from the founding of Rome in 753 BC to the fall in 1461 of the Empire of Trebizond (a successor state and fragment of the Byzantine Empire which escaped conquest by the Ottomans in 1453), for a total of 2,214 years.^ The dynamic fall of the Roman Empire .
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Holy Roman Empire hands down its own traditions through the surviving families, and it has never suffered a conquest by any foreign power.

^ Some accounts of the Roman Empire make it seem larger by adding in the area of the Mediterranean Sea (the Mare Nostrum , entirely enclosed by Roman territory), which from Gibraltar to the Bosporus is 2.51 million km 2 , giving a grand total of 6.26 million km 2 .
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Roman impact on Western and Eastern civilizations lives on.^ Meanwhile victory over Carthage had left no opposition to Roman occupation of the western Mediterranean other than the various tribes who lived there.

^ This insight ran a hundred years earlier than Constantine - to Emperor Diocletian who initiated the divided between eastern and western Roman Empires.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Roman or Western Roman Empire is thus , while the Eastern Empire, or Romania, is .
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.In time most of the Roman achievements were duplicated by later civilizations.^ Even though the Visigoths were not part of the Roman Empire, and most of them were "Arian" Christians by this time, he hired them to help him fight the pagans.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Indeed, the Roman Empire was created out of civil wars, and then recovered under Diocletian, and at other times, after nasty bouts of them.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

For example, the technology for cement was rediscovered 1755–1759 by John Smeaton.
.The Empire contributed many things to the world, such as the (more-or-less) modern calendar, the institutions of Christianity and aspects of modern neo-classicistic and Byzantine architecture.^ It was such a burden for the Empire that it destroyed it utterly in little more than a century.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Another point that maybe many of us have noticed is that modern language seems to be gradually losing complexity as society becomes more complex.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

^ During the Middle Ages, however, I've found less use of Romania in the West and, especially after 800, more references to the 'empire of the Greeks'.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The extensive system of roads that was constructed by the Roman Army lasts to this day.^ Cincinnatus becomes dictator for sixteen days and rescues remaining Roman army c.

^ These concealed troops then sprung upon the marching Roman army as passed the next day.

^ Domitius now saw to the construction of a road from the river Rhone to the Pyrenees, along the course of which Roman veterans were settled in a new colony called Narbo.

.Because of this network of roads, the time necessary to travel between destinations in Europe did not decrease until the 19th century, when steam power was invented.^ But the ambassadors did not arrive, because one of them fell ill by the road; and Chosroes did not pursue his northward journey, because the Plague broke out in his army.
  • J. B. Bury: History of the Later Roman Empire • Vol. II Chap. XVI 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC penelope.uchicago.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Letters between Magnentius and Paul were probably intercepted, because at this time Paul was strangled in prison.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He must have arrived there and survived for some time, because the document that he wrote about his travel has survived and we can still read it, even though the end is missing.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Roman Empire also contributed its form of government, which influences various constitutions including those of most European countries and many former European colonies.^ Eagles were used by many to imply Roman antecedents, but the double headed eagle was adopted in particular by the Holy Roman Empire , by Imperial Russia , and by the Serbs .
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This no longer seems so admirable, and the Empire founded by Julius Caesar and Augustus, as a form of government, does not look like an advance in the course of human progress.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Of course that is not a movie that pretends to be historically accurate, but it is fun to think that after so many years we are still interested in the last years of the Roman Empire - it is a subject of endless fascination.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.In the United States, for example, the framers of the Constitution remarked, in creating the Presidency, that they wanted to inaugurate an "Augustan Age". The modern world also inherited legal thinking from Roman law, codified in Late Antiquity.^ In doing this he was acting according to the letter of the law, but not in the spirit of the Roman constitution.

^ Finally when our law had been promulgated to the effect that they should conform to the institutes of antiquity, many were subdued by the fear of danger, many even suffered death.
  • State Church Of The Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC bswett.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So, I think the explanation is that the Romans lacked the economic resources to develop new lands because they had concentrated all they had into the military.
  • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

.Governing a vast territory, the Romans developed the science of public administration to an extent never before conceived nor necessary, creating an extensive civil service and formalized methods of tax collection.^ His kingdom became known as “the empire where the sun never set.” Not since the days of Charlemagne had a German emperor ruled over such a vast territory.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Looking back one feels that most of all the Roman constitution was never designed with the conquest of wealthy overseas territories in mind.

^ Indeed, the Roman Empire was created out of civil wars, and then recovered under Diocletian, and at other times, after nasty bouts of them.
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The western world today derives its intellectual history from the Greeks, but it derives its methods of living, ruling and governing from those of the Romans.^ Because John lived during the rule of the Roman Empire when he wrote the book of Revelation, he had little to say about the three previous kingdoms.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Those Greeks simply were not, well Romans , according to us .
  • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The idea that the Roman Empire was the fourth to rule the world did not originate with this pope.
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]
  • Germany and the Holy Roman Empire — theTrumpet.com 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.thetrumpet.com [Source type: Original source]

See also

Ancient historians of the Empire

In Latin:
In Greek:

Literature of the Empire

In Latin:
In Greek:
In Syriac:

Notes

  1. ^ Other possibilities are Imperium Romanum and Romania. Res publica, as a term denoting the Roman "commonwealth" in general, can refer to both the Republican and the Imperial era, while Imperium Romanum is used to denote the territorial extent of Roman authority. The later term Romania, which was eventually carried over to Byzantium, appears in Greek and Latin sources from the fourth century onward. (See Wolff, R.L. "Romania: The Latin Empire of Constantinople". In: Speculum, 23 (1948), pp. 1-34 (pp. 2-3).)
  2. ^ a b c d {{cite journal|journal=Social Science History |title=Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D. |first=Taagepera
  3. ^ John D. Durand, Historical Estimates of World Population: An Evaluation, 1977, pp. 253-296.
  4. ^ During these struggles hundreds of senators were killed or died, and the legions to back him up, if it ever became necessary.
  5. ^ Birley, E.B.. "A Note on the Title 'Gemina'". Journal of Roman Studies (18): pp. 56-60. 
  6. ^ Fergus Millar, A Greek Roman Empire: Power and Belief under Theodosius II (408-450). Sather Classical Lectures, Vol. .64. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006. Pp.^ A Dictionary of Surnames , Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges, Oxford University Press, 1988, pp.563-564, 568).
    • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

    279. ISBN 0-520-24703-5
  7. ^ McDonnell/MacDonnell, Roman Manliness: Virtus and the Roman Republic
  8. ^ Greek Language, Encyclopedia Britannica[1]
  9. ^ Versteegh, Cornelis H. M., Greek Elements in Arabic Linguistic Thinking, E. J. Brill, 1977, Chapter 1.

References

.
  • John Bagnell Bury, A History of the Roman Empire from its Foundation to the death of Marcus Aurelius, 1913
  • J. A. Crook, Law and Life of Rome, 90 BC–AD 212, 1967, ISBN 0-8014-9273-4
  • Suzanne Dixon, The Roman Family, 1992, ISBN 0-8018-4200-X
  • Donald R. Dudley, The Civilization of Rome, 2nd ed., 1985, ISBN 0-452-01016-0
  • Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, (1776–1788)
  • Peter Heather The Fall of the Roman Empire, 2005, ISBN 0-330-49136-9
  • A.H.M. Jones, The Later Roman Empire, 284–602, 1964, ISBN 0-8018-3285-3
  • Andrew Lintott, Imperium Romanum: Politics and administration, 1993, ISBN 0-415-09375-9
  • Ramsay Macmullen, Roman Social Relations, 50 BC to AD 284, 1981, ISBN 0-300-02702-8
  • Michael Rostovtzeff, The Social and Economic History of the Roman Empire 2nd ed., 1957
  • Santo Mazzarino.^ Edward Gibbon, author of the massive Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1788), was a learned man, if ever there was one.

    ^ BC-284 AD .
    • Roman Decadence, Rome and Romania, and the Emperors Who Weren't 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

    ^ You have surely read Edward Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire"; at least parts of it.
    • The Oil Drum: Europe | "Peak Civilization": The Fall of the Roman Empire 28 January 2010 0:46 UTC europe.theoildrum.com [Source type: Original source]

    .The end of the ancient world.^ It is definitely the end of the Ancient World.
    • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

    New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 1966, (West Hanover : Halliday Lithograph corp.) .English translation by George Holmes
  • Ronald Syme, The Roman Revolution, 1939, ISBN 0-19-280320-4
  • Colin Wells, The Roman Empire, 2nd ed., 1992, ISBN 0-00-686252-7
  • Fergus Millar, A Greek Roman Empire: Power and Belief under Theodosius II (408-450).^ The Holy Roman Empire hands down its own traditions through the surviving families, and it has never suffered a conquest by any foreign power.

    ^ They would soon become a loose cannon within the Empire, shattering essential supports of Roman power as the tribe rolled around.
    • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

    ^ I might therefore entertain the speculation whether what became the traditional coloring of the English Cross of St. George might actually have been derived from the Romanian as well as the Genoese versions.
    • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

    Sather Classical Lectures, Vol. .64. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006. Pp.^ A Dictionary of Surnames , Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges, Oxford University Press, 1988, pp.563-564, 568).
    • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

    279. ISBN 0-520-24703-5
  • McDonnell/MacDonnell, Roman Manliness: Virtus and the Roman Republic

External links

Roman Emperors by Epoch
see also: List of Roman Emperors · Concise list of Roman Emperors · Roman Empire
Principate Crisis of the 3rd century Dominate Division Successors
  • Julio-Claudian dynasty
  • Four Emperors (68–69)
  • Flavian dynasty
  • Nervan-Antonian dynasty
  • Five Emperors (192–193)
  • Severan dynasty
  • Barracks Emperors
  • Illyrian Emperors
  • Thirty Tyrants

  • Gallic Emperors

  • Britannic Emperors
  • Tetrarchies
  • Constantinian dynasty
  • Valentinian dynasty
  • Theodosian dynasty
  • Western Roman Emperors

  • Eastern Roman Emperors
  • Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy
  • Holy Roman Emperors

  • Byzantine Emperors
<span class="FA" id="genealogy_wikia_ca" style="display:none;" />

<span class="FA" id="genealogy_wikia_no" style="display:none;" />

<span class="FA" id="genealogy_wikia_pt" style="display:none;" />

<span class="FA" id="genealogy_wikia_fi" style="display:none;" />

<span class="FA" id="genealogy_wikia_zh" style="display:none;" />

<span class="FA" id="genealogy_wikia_ka" style="display:none;" />
.This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia.^ The official text of the present constitutional Charter was drawn up in English and German and every version in any other language must use it as a reference.

.The original content was at Roman Empire.^ Since the Latin alphabet is used here, and since the Roman Empire originally used Latin as its universal language, never forgotten in Greek Romania, that is the practice here.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.The list of authors can be seen in the page history.^ Despite the treatment of the Ghassanids in many Byzantine histories, which often give rulers of related states, I have not seen a list in any history.
  • Rome and Romania, Roman Emperors, Byzantine Emperors, etc. 18 January 2010 11:28 UTC www.friesian.com [Source type: Original source]

.As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.^ This work by Mary Harrsch is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License .

^ Creative Commons Licensing .


This article uses material from the "Roman Empire" article on the Genealogy wiki at Wikia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.

Simple English

[[File:|thumb|250px|Greatest size of the Roman Empire, in about 117 C.E.]]

File:Roman Republic Empire map.gif
The Roman Empire at different times.

The Roman Empire was the largest empire of the ancient world. Its capital was Rome, and its empire was based on the Mediterranean. The Empire dates from 27 BC, when Octavian became the Emperor Augustus.

The empire was the third stage of Ancient Rome. Rome was first ruled by kings, then by the Roman Republic, then by an emperor.

Many modern lands were once part of the Roman Empire, including Britain (not Scotland), Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Egypt, and the north coast of Africa. The language of the Roman Empire was Latin.

The western part of the Roman Empire continued for almost 1000 years, and the eastern part, including Greece and Turkey, continued for about a thousand years more. The eastern part was called the Byzantine Empire with a capital at Constantinople.

How the Empire was run

In order to control their large empire, the Romans developed important ideas about law and government. They developed the best army in the world at that time, and ruled by force. They had fine engineering, and built roads, cities, and outstanding buildings. The Empire was divided into provinces, each with a provincial governor plus civil and military support. Letters would constantly go to and from Rome, both official and private letters.

Trade was most important for Rome, a city of a million people, by far the largest city in the world. They needed, and got, wheat from Egypt, tin from Britannia, grapes from Gaul, and so on. In return, the Roman built provincial capitals into fine cities, protected them from raids by barbarians, and provided education and career opportunites for young people in the provinces, offered careers in the Roman army.

In principle, emperors had absolute control, and could do as they pleased. In practice, they faced many difficult problems. They had a staff of what we call 'civil servants' and the advice of the Roman Senate. The emperor had to decide what were the most important issues facing the Empire, and what should be done about them. Most of them tried to do two sorts of thing. One was to do things to improve the life of Romans in peacetime. The other was to fight and defeat Rome's enemies. A wealthy empire always has enemies.

With kings and emperors, a big problem is the succession. Who follows them when they die? Sometimes it would be his eldest son, if he was capable of ruling. More often it would be an adopted son. It worked like this. The emperor would notice an outstanding young man from one of the best families. He would adopt him as his son. Before he died he would make clear whom he thought should succeed him, by making him a Roman consul, or by stating in his will that the younger man should succeed him. Sometimes this worked; sometimes it did not. Every now and then there would be a civil war between claimants to the throne.

An adopted son or two gave the emperor more choices. Some emperors had no son; some had sons who were killed in battle, or died during a plague. Later on, emperors grew so weak that the military would just pick one of their generals to be the next emperor. This often led to civil war. The life stories of the emperors can be found in List of Roman emperors.

The Romans fought many wars against other countries, and enjoyed watching violent sports. They enjoyed watching races between chariots pulled by horses, and fights between men using weapons (gladiators). Unlike in modern sports, the fighters were often killed in these fights. Romans enjoyed these shows in the Roman Colosseum.

The Romans built many large public buildings and villas, aqueducts to carry water, and good stone bridges and roads. Some of these things can still be seen today. Many famous writers were Romans, including Cicero and Virgil.

The New Testament of the Bible tells about the Romans in the life of Jesus Christ. During Jesus' life, the Romans, who were pagan, controlled his country. Later, several emperors tried to destroy Christianity but they did not succeed. By 312 AD the emperor Galerius allowed people freedom to follow Christianity, and the next year, a general, Constantine, became emperor and converted to Christianity.

The city of Rome was taken over several times by barbarians, notably in 410 AD when the Goths sacked the city (stole the goods). The last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, resigned in 476 AD. The Roman Empire would last another 1,000 years as the Byzantine Empire in the east.

Error creating thumbnail: sh: convert: command not found
Wikimedia Commons has images, video, and/or sound related to:

rue:Рімска ріша


Citable sentences

Up to date as of December 08, 2010

Here are sentences from other pages on Roman Empire, which are similar to those in the above article.








Got something to say? Make a comment.
Your name
Your email address
Message
Please enter the solution to case below
45-15=